Digging Up a Buried Path
by White Rabbit Tale
Summary: Takeda Enizu is back with a fearful vengence. A simple mistake tears apart what the Kenshingumi worked so hard to keep together. After a kidnapping and a betrayal, what else will they have to face? [AoKao, SouMi, KenNaru, SanoMeg]
1. Beginning: The Moth

Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be kind of cool if I was Watsuki? No? Ah, well then, I guess you can tell I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Wouldn't it be cool, though, if I did? No? Oh…okay then.

A/N: I guess you guys probably know what's going on with this fic. If you don't, check my bio.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 1:_

_The Moth_

_-_

**S**anosuke looked around at the dusty road ahead of him. Wind rustled his bristly brown hair, but he paid it no mind. There he was, in a place so familiar to him, yet he couldn't even find a good place to eat.

He imagined the dojo. Jou-chan would be cooking lunch, Yahiko, who would be red and breathless from training, would tease her mercilessly. Kenshin and the koneko would be trying to stop Kaoru from burning the dojo down…

That was right. The dojo had only just been restored. It was mostly the same place from before the arsonists burned it down, but there were some noticeable renovations. Two new bedrooms had been added, and the dojo gate, which had always been crooked and squeaky was now silent as it opened. For some inexplicable reason, that one fact made Sano very sad. He had loved the homeliness of the dojo, and the comforting way the gate creaked when he would step inside, uninvited. It was as if the unoiled gate was saying something he couldn't. _I'm here, this is home_.

There was no dojo gate to announce his presence in this desolate town. And that, he supposed, was why he would have to do it himself. And him being Sano, and no other person, he would have to do it in a dramatic way. He was, after all, the man with evil on his back.

Sano picked up pace again and strolled down the path, barely making out a restaurant in the distance. He whistled, quite off-key, and surged forward, trying to keep his thoughts ahead and not behind at the dojo and his friends and…

Yes, all right, a certain inky-haired doctor floated somewhere in the back of his mind always. He had always thought of her like the little flowers that grew in the path. They had been trodden over, it was true, but they were okay, and they were still beautiful. And Sano cared enough to at least step around them, because they deserved that much.

But lately she had been representing a moth in his mind. Always flitting around, disturbing whatever peace he could find. An annoyance, something that just would not leave. Just a moth…except, a very exquisite moth, one that glided gracefully, one that could listen and sometimes, if only sometimes, not make a witty comment in the end.

All right, so maybe Sanosuke was more of a moth. He was the moth, drawn to her light, even if it killed him. Her light would never die. But maybe, just this once, he was straying from her comfort, from the warm, golden glow. Turning from the light, into the darkness that he could not fathom. But that was what he was, an extremely stupid moth. And yes, maybe rather than straying, he was running.

Running….

Running? Yes, he _was_ running after all. And he knew what from. A guy like him could only take so much. But Kenshin, well, Kenshin could take it all. He had been through hell—and back—countless times. Well, Sano had too, at that. But he wasn't Kenshin. He was only a runaway son of a farmer. Just a kid who thought he knew the world, and towed evil around on his back.

But one day…one day he would know the world. Just…not yet. He couldn't be running, because then all he would see is a blur of many things mixing together.

A blur was definitely how Sano would describe his last few weeks in Tokyo. It was kind of funny, the way the dojo was. One second, everything was normal…boring, even. They did chores, they ate good food from the Akabeko, they ate bad food from Kaoru…Naruku trained, Kenshin taught…if you could call it that. Yahiko trained, Kaoru taught.

Kaoru taught. That, Sano noted, was the beginning of their problems.

It had started March third, just two months and nine days short of their three-year anniversary since Kenshin had left for Kyoto, and said goodbye to Kaoru amongst the fireflies. It had really been three years since Shishio and his men, hadn't it? And nearing one year since Naruku had, quite literally tripped over the dojo inhabitants and entered their life. Six months or so since they had returned to Tokyo from Hakone Springs to find the dojo burned down, and then gone to Kyoto where Nishiwaki had prepared to wage war on Japan…and then Nishiwaki had turned his idle forces on them…and then they had kicked their asses, which had not been as easy as Sano maybe liked to make it out to be. Four months since Genwa Daiomoru had marched a crusade on them, for more personal reasons. Well, okay, maybe putting Kaoru in a coma didn't count as marching a crusade, but it had certainly been personal. And once they had got up that forsaken mountain, well, all hell had broken loose.

But, by March third, thirteenth year of the Meiji, the members of the Kenshin-gumi had basically gotten over these events, and like elastic bounced back to their boring old lives. Which maybe weren't so boring if you noticed Yahiko increasing steadily in swordsmanship and Kaoru grinning every time Shinomori's name was mentioned…and if you felt that odd aura from Kenshin and Naruku when they were down by the river training…or if you were Sano and were the object of Megumi's affections and often receiver of her sweet kisses…or sometimes heated yells. But either way.

And on March third, eighteen eighty Kaoru had received a visitor. And then another. And another. And soon the Kamiya dojo was packed with young men from eleven o'clock in the morning to four or five in the afternoon, all of them seeking training from the self-proclaimed (or so Sano presumed) 'Rose of Kenjutsu.'

And though Sano was tempted to trace it back even farther, Kaoru's kenjutsu title was the beginning of it all. It wasn't the only cause, but it marked the point where all of it had started.

-

Kaoru paced up and down the line of students, scrutinizing and watching each perform their practice swings.

"Back straight, Anzai!" Kaoru bellowed, cuffing the student in the small of his back. He only barely winced, but straightened after that. "You're doing well, Reijiro-kun," Kaoru praised the boy with slate colored hair. "Giichi-kun, eyes ahead, not on Momoru-kun," She instructed the bumbling boy, who, at fourteen, could barely even hold a shinai. Momoru, who was at least five years older than either Giichi or Kaoru herself, was more experienced and many of the younger boys had taken to following whatever he was doing. He flashed a smile at Kaoru as she passed him.

"Wow Kaoru!" Yahiko trotted to her side enthusiastically. "You really do know how to work them."

Kaoru returned this compliment with a sly smile. "Hey. How do you think _you_ got so good?"

He grinned back at her, and a few of the other students grumbled, falling back on their assumption that the 'spiky-haired brat' was a student Kaoru favored.

"Lunch break, everyone!" she yelled, and the swishing of a dozen shinai cutting through the air were silenced. Giichi, the poor boy, dropped his and it landed promptly on his foot.

The seventeen boys (and young men) filed out of the drill hall, each carefully placing their shinai in the racks that leaned against the wall.

Kaoru's blue eyes sparkled as she followed them out. She was breathless with excitement. "Can you believe it?" she chatted enthusiastically to Yahiko. "Seventeen new students! _Seventeen!_ This is better than I could have hoped for, Yahiko! And all in just two weeks! My father would be so proud if he could see the dojo now!"

"Sure, Kaoru," Yahiko replied off-handedly. Kaoru quieted almost immediately. She whirled on Yahiko, and jabbed a finger at him.

"All right, what is it you want?" she demanded.

Yahiko blinked, his brown eyes wide, looking utterly taken aback. "Nothing, I don't want anything!"

"Yes you do! You are never this nice and you always make fun of me!" Kaoru retorted in a near-whiney voice.

"Oh come on, that's only when you cook and Kenshin's made lunch today!" Yahiko snapped. "Besides, I _am_ proud of the Kamiya Kasshin Style anyway! I mean, now that you don't only have one bratty kid as a student…"

"Aha! So you admit it. You _are_ a brat!" Kaoru shot back. By this time, their heated yelling had reached the ears of eight students who were trailed behind the others. Soon all seventeen of them had stopped in their tracks to turn and stare at their assistant master.

Kaoru blushed when she noticed this, and Yahiko cut off his insult as well.

"_Miiiina-saaaaan_!" Came Naruku's joyful cry and she pushed her way out of the dojo, carrying a large tray full of snacks. "Lunch is ready!"

"That it is!" Kenshin put in from inside the dojo.

Most of the students ran for the red-tressed girl, but she made a loud whistling noise before they could get far. Kenshin emerged from the dojo as well, and Naruku shoved the tray of food into his arms. Emitting a small 'oro' Kenshin steadied himself and looked on.

"You know the drill, guys!" Naruku hollered, brandishing her ladle. "Single file! Those with money for lunch, in the front! We'll see if there's any left for you freeloaders after…If you've brought your own lunch, I commend you, for you have far succeeded many of us who cannot cook. Get your food and go over there!" She screeched, whirling toward the porch and the courtyard, raising the ladle above her head. "If you spill, there's hell to pay!"

"Naruku-dono," Kenshin set a hand on her shoulder to calm her. "That's good enough. It doesn't impress them anymore, that it doesn't."

"Oh." Ever since Kaoru had got her new students, Naruku had found them highly uninteresting and inconvenient. In order to cheer herself up, she had taken to playing lunch lady. The first time she had barked all those rules at them, the students had been mostly bewildered, some amused and some cowering in fear, like Giichi. Now, though, they were used to her antics and simply slouched in the line, indifferent to her bellowing.

Disappointed with the lack of response, Naruku sighed and reached for a rabbit-shaped onigiri and napkin to hand to each student as they passed by her in their specifically single-file line. Beside her, Kenshin was ladling miso soup into their outstretched bowls. Naruku cast a glance at him, wondering what possessed him to make the rice-balls shaped like _rabbits. _Of all things, rabbits! Did he think that the kendo students were a group of giggling little girls whose only aspirations were to be princesses? However, this attack on their masculinity went unnoticed by Kaoru's students, so Naruku was left alone, dwelling on this potential injustice.

After Naruku had served out seventeen suspiciously feminine onigiri, Kaoru walked up to the two of them.

"Thank you _so _much for helping out everyday with lunch," Kaoru gushed, clasping her hands graciously.

"It's no problem, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin spoke for the two of them, for Naruku was staring off in the courtyard where lunch was being eaten.

"I don't know _what_ I'd do without you," Kaoru went on.

Naruku shrugged and turned to her raven-locked friend at last. "I don't know, but I doubt your students would like you as much if you starting _cooking_ for them…"

A vein in Kaoru's forehead twitched, but she was quiet. She had been subconsciously getting better at controlling her emotions…

Which she supposed she had gotten from Aoshi.

Instead, Kaoru promptly exclaimed, "Naruku-chan, I have never seen that kimono on you!" In fact, Kaoru couldn't remember the last time she had actually seen _any_ kimono on Naruku. Much less a bright orange one with a clashing pink obi.

Naruku giggled. "I made it myself! It's my lunch-lady uniform," she proclaimed. "And I made one for Kenshin, too, but he forgot to wear it, I guess."

Kenshin immediately looked guilty, and a bead of sweat formed on the back of his head. "Ano…orange really isn't my color…"

"Oh, and this from the man who prances around in _pink_ all day!" Naruku retorted, throwing a hand up for emphasis.

Kenshin plucked at his current garments. "I like this gi. And it's_ magenta_."

Naruku laughed. "Himura Kenshin, I have _never_ seen you whine before. C'mon, do it again!"

"Ano…doushite?" Kenshin asked, put off guard.

"Because it's funny!" was Naruku's response. "Because it's funny" didn't seem like a good enough answer for Kenshin, so he ignored her.

"So, Kaoru-dono, are you content with the students that have been arriving?" He questioned, turning his attention to the other girl.

"Of course, Kenshin! I have wanted this for three years, don't you think I'd be happy?" Kaoru exclaimed. All though, in the doubtful and slightly defensive way she said it, it was not very convincing.

"Isn't something missing?" Naruku offered softly, having given up with teasing Kenshin. "I mean, you know…"

Kaoru blinked and sighed. "Oh you two…"

Ignoring the grin that was exchanged between Kenshin and Naruku, Kaoru stalked off to tell her students to wrap it up, they still had a whole afternoon of training ahead of them.

-

Kaoru walked briskly up the dojo path, a bag of groceries in hand. Her ponytail bounced as she continued upward, exhausted in the late afternoon sun. After a grueling day of teaching and training, all she wanted to do was eat dinner, take a bath and go to sleep…

Kaoru's peaceful thoughts stopped abruptly when she nearly stepped on an amorphous black dog that was lying in the middle of the path. Letting out an exclamation of surprise, Kaoru jumped back from the creature.

The dog did not seem perturbed at all, but merely raised it's shaggy head at her and plopped it back down. Its tail was thumping against the ground in a steady rhythm as the dog outwardly expressed its extreme content.

Kaoru peered at the oblivious dog a second longer before stooping down next to him and scratching his head happily.

"Hey…" she cooed. She paused and memory of this same dog reached her. "Hey! You're Makkou!" She said it almost accusingly. She grinned and went back to petting him, this time on the belly. "Naruku's been _very _worried about you, yes she has! She—" Kaoru stopped again and relinquished her hand, her eyes going wide.

"N…Naruku! Kenshin!"

Makkou, who didn't seem to see how important his reappearance was, whined and turned away from Kaoru's loud call.

Soon, Naruku came down the path, looking puzzled. She spotted Kaoru who was still crouched next to Makkou.

"Kaoru-chan! What's—" she looked down at the dog. Instead of tackling him like she probably wanted to, Naruku only pointed. _"Actually I think your dog went to join her," _she recalled Aoshi saying to her. And then her anger at his carelessness for her dog.

"But Makkou's with Misao," Naruku said, as if this knowledge was the truth instead of what was sitting on the ground in front of her. Misao had taken off from Tokyo months ago, and only later did Naruku find out that her beloved mutt had joined her thereafter. From this, Naruku had concluded that Aoshi wasn't very good at making sure people stayed where they were supposed to, but she had known that anyway.

Kaoru nodded. "Do you think Makkou just ran off, or…?"

"Or Misao is really here in Tokyo?" Naruku finished, knowing that Kaoru didn't want to say it, lest they get their hopes up.

Kaoru slowly nodded. She didn't say how much she hoped that was true, because there would be no going back after that.

"I hope that she is…" Naruku mused, petting Makkou.

Kaoru looked up in surprise. She sighed, a little peeved that Naruku had admitted that. The girl never paid any attention to not getting her hopes crushed. But, Kaoru supposed upon reflection, maybe that was all right.

"C'mon," Naruku said, grinning. "Let's go back in. Kenshin's waiting for the groceries."

She stood up and Makkou followed, Kaoru after him. "Wait a second, do you expect me to keep this dog at my dojo?" Kaoru protested.

Naruku turned around, the saddest look on her face. "_Please,_ Kaoru-chan? He doesn't have anywhere to go, and he's our only clue toward Misao! Plus—"

"Aii…" Kaoru moaned. "Fine, he can stay." She pretended not to care about Naruku's gleeful whoops. "But just for Misao."

Kaoru went into the dojo courtyard, Makkou following behind her. Naruku, however, had paused to stare back down the path that they had come from. "Misao," she murmured to herself. "Are you really here?" she turned back to go in, shutting the dojo gate behind her.

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A/N: I think this is behaving more like a proper first chapter. Please pay attention to the new order of events, if you had been reading this before April 2, 2005. Feel free to ask any questions in reviews! If it's something really lengthy, you can also e-mail me at Or you can also IM me at the same screenname. 


	2. Misao: Prelude to Tears

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or canon plot from Rurouni Kenshin! However, all plot ideas and characters that are owned by me belong…to…me. Hmm. Redundancy Department of Redundancy speaking!

A/N: This may be the first time that a lot of you have become aware of this whole re-organizing of this fic. Check out my bio for details. And if it isn't _too _annoying for you, please read the new version of this fic so that you don't get confused about the new sequence of events! That goes for chapter one, too! At least read the last scene of it before you continue on.

This chapter is still dedicated to ShadowAoi. I miss you, girl.

Also, I know this chapter title seems very overbearing, but it actually makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.

Tanoshimu!

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_Chapter 2_

_Misao: Prelude to Tears _

_-_

**K**enshin assembled all his ingredients carefully on the counter. He had volunteered to make dinner, even though he had made them all lunch earlier. Bottles of salt and soy sauce clanked together as set them all down. He reached for a knife to gut the catfish, but couldn't find it anywhere. His eyes swept the room carefully.

"Oro!" he cried, spotting Makkou with the knife between his paws, staring perplexedly at the shiny surface. Kenshin snatched up the knife. "That is not good, that it isn't!" he exclaimed. "Dogs aren't supposed to have knives!"

Makkou let out a low whine and got to his feet. Kenshin inspected the knife. There was no blood on it, which meant Makkou hadn't cut himself. Kenshin sighed. That was good. Who knew what would have happened if he hadn't spotted Makkou in—

He jumped in surprise. "No!" Makkou had moved from knives to catfish and was chewing on the dinner Kenshin was supposed to prepare. Kenshin dashed for the fish, but it was too late. The rubbery skin was already torn to shreds by Makkou's claws and teeth. "Having a dog is much more trouble than it should be," he muttered. He picked up the destroyed catfish and threw it away. Makkou barked in annoyance and went to fish it out, while Kenshin just sighed.

He picked up the wooden tofu bucket and left the kitchen, making sure Makkou was right behind him with the catfish slung in his jaw.

"Naruku-dono," Kenshin called, walking outside. "Can you go get us something for dinner?" He peaked around the bend and found no familiar swirl of brick red hair. "Makkou already ate the—" he stopped dead in his tracks and dropped the tofu bin as his eyes fell on a petite dark-haired girl. Could it be?

The ebony haired girl raised a timid hand to her hair, tucking a strand of it behind. Her face was dusty and lighter streaks indicated she had been crying. Her turquoise eyes were large and puffy. She looked frailer than she should have, more delicate than when Kenshin had last seen her. Maybe that was from the absence of the look of daggers or cheery bright smile she usually had on. But there was no mistaking it. Even with that forlorn expression, it was still the same girl.

"Himura?" She spoke, her voice raspy and chipped like she hadn't spoken in days.

"…Misao-dono," he said softly.

She nodded her head. "It's a good thing you still remember me." Before she could say anything more to the red-haired swordsman, a different pair of arms engulfed her. She stumbled under the excess weight.

"Misao-chan!" Naruku cried into the younger girl's ear as she embraced her.

Misao returned the embrace fervently. "It's good to see you again," she whispered. "All of you." The two girls broke apart, and it was then Naruku noticed the faint traces of tears on Misao's cheeks. She could tell the younger girl had been partially broken within the last few months that Naruku had not seen her.

"Yes," Naruku said quietly after she was done surveying her friend. "It has been long."

"Please join us for dinner," Kenshin spoke up. "We have much to discuss Misao-dono."

-

It was twenty minutes later and Kaoru, Misao, Yahiko and Sano were gathered around the table while Kenshin finished up in the kitchen. The four Tokyo locals could sense that something was wrong, but they didn't say anything. Misao sat in the traditional way, her hands clutched tightly onto the folds of her clothing.

Kenshin emerged from the kitchen, carrying several dishes of food to serve. He shot looks all around the table, wondering why it had suddenly become very quiet.

Fresh from her bath, Naruku entered the room just after Kenshin. She was grinning, despite the solemn mood of the room.

"Good evening everyone," she said placidly, taking her place among them. "Itadakimasu," she said as she sat down. "It's been so long since we've had a guest, ne?"

Kaoru nodded, serving food onto her plate after muttering her own 'itadakimasu.'

"Well, Misao-chan," Naruku spoke up, spraying a few rice grains from her mouth by accident. "I can see you may not be ready to tell us anything, but we will listen to anything you want to say."

It was the way she said it that made Misao look up. And in her eyes was a look of deep gratitude and behind that, shadows of anguish.

Around the table everyone had stopped, even Sano and Yahiko. They waited silently on edge for Misao to respond.

The young ninja bit her lip, but kept her eyes steady ahead of her. She wanted to tell them. She knew that she did. That was the reason she had come to the dojo. Even in her distressed she had known that they would help her.

But there was also a part of Misao that simply felt too sad to say anything. If she explained it all to them, she would just be reliving that painful part of her recent life. She had always been about forgetting her pains, burying them somewhere and getting on with life.

The truth was, she needed him. She needed Soujiro. But she could never look at him again. They had been so close, so close under the plum blossom tree. But then they had been torn apart savagely by one moment.

"It was four days after Kaoru had fallen ill in Kyoto and the afternoon after your departure when I decided to set off," Misao began without preamble. She knew if she gave them a chance to interrupt her, or if she allowed one moment of hesitation, her tale would never be told. For Misao, the only way to get it all out was to push on.

"Initially I wasn't looking for Soujiro, or at least I didn't think I was, but I found myself headed in directions that only he would have gone. However, the first person I encountered wasn't Soujiro…" and with those first few sentences, Misao had all eyes glues onto her as she talked and talked, words spilling out of her mouth to release the pain she had held inside for too long now.

**_M_**_isao adjusted the strap on her bag as her boots crunched along the icy path._ _Leaving her friends at the Aoiya had been painful, but now she _felt somewhat refreshed as she bounced alongside the winter scenery. It was just like old times, when she used to search for Aoshi whenever she had word of him. This time Misao was sure the object of her energy was not going to get away.

Even as Soujiro had said goodbye that evening in Kyoto, Misao knew she would never be far off from him. She couldn't have let him go, no matter how much she told herself he needed it. Well she wasn't about to let the one person who loved her scamper off like that. He wasn't getting off easy.

"Hm…" Misao mused. "I haven't seen that stupid mutt lately. Not since this morning and it's well into the afternoon now. Where could he have gone?"

She looked around as if she expected Makkou to have been silently stalking her in the shadows for the past few hours. Misao doubted whether the dog could stay silent for more than a few seconds.

"If I don't find it, Naru is going to have it in for me," Misao groaned. As much as she liked to deny it, Naruku had it bad for Makkou. She fell for that dog almost as bad as she had fallen for Kenshin…or so Misao thought. In fact, Naruku had not given any indication of her more sensual emotions to anyone since—well, never, really. There were some occasions, when they were all being reunited for some reason or another, that Naruku seemed to show a special sort of affection toward the Rurouni, but it was very hard to tell what that actually meant.

"Sheesh…it's worse than Aoshi-sama, really," she sighed, brushing over that tender topic. Was she fine with the fact that he had never harbored a stronger emotion for her than some sort of nurturing fondness? By rights, she should have been delighted with the situation, but Misao never really liked to lie to herself.

And Soujiro loved her.

And…so did Makkou. Makkou loved everyone, especially people who fed him. Where _was_ that dog? She glanced around until a distinct pang of déjà vu hit her and she nearly smacked herself.

"Makkou!" she cried, skipping over the road. "Makkou-chan!" She jumped over a few stalks of particularly tall grass, heading into the woods where the trees were more densely spread. One of her eyes instinctively closed as she wrestled her way through odd branches and vines, not to mention the _unearthly_ long grass. She marched through a cluster of thick-trunk trees. "Come _on_ you stupid dog! If you come right now I'll catch a squirrel just for you! I guess…" she stopped and became alert when she heard the short, yelping barks. "_Makkou!_"

She quickened her pace, dashing over roots and through leaves, following the source of the canine-sounding noise. As she drew closer, human voices accompanied the original sound. They sounded like kids, older than Yahiko but younger than Misao herself, and they were laughing and jeering at…something. Misao's face settled into a hard look of determination as she rushed forward toward them. She stopped suddenly in her tracks when a new voice rang deep in her ears.

"Hey—hey…stop that!"

The kids cackled. "You wanna get beat up too, old man?"

There were a few muffled thumps and then—the breaking of glass. Misao surged through an opening between two trees and landed in the middle of a clearing. She immediately spotted Makkou quivering in a ball, a burly man kneeling in front of him and a group of five or six kids in front of him, one of them brandishing a freshly broken bottle.

"Hey kids—get out of here!" Misao roared. "What did my dog ever do to you?"

The boys seemed to be put off by Misao's sudden appearance. "Your dog?"

Misao didn't bother with an answer. Instead she sent a kick straight into the broken bottle kid's head. He staggered and dropped the bottle, clutching the side of his forehead which now sported a lovely new bruise. Behind him, his friends gaped in awe at Misao. They backed up and eventually turned tail and ran.

"That's right!" Misao bellowed after them. "And don't do something stupid like that again! Sheesh…kids these days. They do the stupidest things…" Sighing, she turned back to Makkou and finally took notice of the man crouched in front of her dog.

"Eh?" Misao uttered with a bemused look.

The man stared with a similar expression back at her. He was stout and burly, his limbs thick rather than being fat or muscled. Misao took quick note of the bruises he had and the black eye his face seemed intent on forming. He blinked.

Misao smiled and jumped forward, extending her hand to him. "Hi! I'm Makimachi Misao. Sorry for the trouble with my dog…ano…he's not really mine, just a friend's, but he followed me from Kyoto so now I gotta take care of him!" she chuckled sheepishly.

The man took her hand hesitantly, looking as though he had caught only half of her quick-paced words. "It…wasn't any trouble. I just hate to see anyone attacked like that." His words were slow as if he weren't sure that he was saying the right thing.

"Aha…" Misao didn't really know how to respond. "What's your name?"

"Oh," he said in a low tone. He gave her a smile, which revealed a mouthful of yellowish teeth. "It's Senbei."

"Eh?" Misao gave him a baffled look. "Your name is Senbei?"

"Yes," he replied cluelessly.

Misao blinked and looked as though she were about to elaborate. Instead she exclaimed, "Oh, never mind! So, Senbei-san, what brings you to the middle of the woods on a day like this?"

Senbei quieted almost immediately. "Uh…Misao-chan? Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise not to tell…" he looked conflicted, so Misao flashed a smile.

"Sure," she said cheerfully. When he beckoned her closer she leaned so her ear was next to his mouth.

"I…ran away from home," he whispered.

It was all Misao could do not to fall over in surprise. Ran away from home? That sounded like something a thirteen-year-old kid would do. "Senbei-san, how old are you?"

"Huh?" he looked confused. "Um…um, I'm…I'm…Misao-chan, what comes after thirty-seven?"

Misao blinked. "Thirty-eight?" she suggested.

"Right. I'm thirty-eight. I was thirty-eight last month."

"I…see," Misao replied. It dawned on her that Senbei might not have been the sharpest kunai in the pouch. "Well, why don't you travel with me? Makkou seems to like you."

While Makkou was never picky with people he seemed to take a special liking to Senbei. He pawed at Senbei knee and licked his hand in friendliness. Senbei laughed, a sound that was uncharacteristically deep and rumbling. "It tickles."

With a name like 'senbei,' it was no wonder Makkou liked him so much. The three of them set off just as Misao finished treating all of Makkou's and Senbei's wounds.

"I think I'm going to like your company, Senbei-san," Misao said as they marched along. "I've been traveling alone for nearly two weeks!"

"What about Makkou?" Senbei asked in good nature as the aforementioned dog lapped at his rough hand.

"He hardly counts," Misao muttered. She turned her eyes away as Senbei scratched Makkou's head reassuringly.

"Misao-chan?" Senbei spoke after a few minutes of silent travel.

"Hai?" Misao replied easily.

"Where are we going?"

Misao knew then that she had been right to take Senbei along with her. He was too trusting. She had to make sure his trust was in the right hands. "Somewhere near Tokyo, I think."

He didn't ask why, though Misao could have answered, just continued to follow her. He didn't even ask why she was traveling in the first place. Misao gave a little smile. Senbei really did need someone.

-

Night fell quickly, and before it was even suppertime, it was dark. Misao lay on her stomach, propping her face up with her elbows to the crackling flames. Senbei had been very equipped to gather firewood, which made things easier on Misao, who has just caught a pit-viper with a single kunai, something she was all too ready to brag about later. Only Makkou had minded her boastfulness.

"Misao-chan?" Senbei questioned after their dinner of snake and anpan.

Misao was busy licking her fingers clean of crispy snakeskin.

"How old are you?"

She looked up at him. "Well, I guess I'm nearly eighteen now," she told him. She blinked, rather surprised at how old she gotten. "Wow. It's really been ten years since I was eight."

"What happened when you were eight, Misao-chan?" Senbei asked curiously.

Misao drew herself to a sitting position. "That was when the person that I looked up to abandoned me. He and his friends had always taken care of me, but one day he suddenly left," she said softly. "I was too young to understand what had happened. I just wanted them back, the only people who cared for me," she looked down wistfully.

Senbei's expression was concern mixed with awe. "I…look up to _you_, Misao-chan," he told her quietly.

"You…you do?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

He nodded. "You were the first person to care what happened to me. I lived with my aunt until she yelled at me and I ran away. She only kept me to store the barrels of rice she sold to merchants," he told Misao dolefully.

Misao hurriedly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. "Then you were right to get out of there. No one wants to live where they aren't cared for. I…actually wouldn't know about that. I know a lot of people who _do_ care about me. The only reason I left them was because I…needed some answers, I guess. There was this other boy…well, I guess he's really quite a bit older than me…but he left after telling me he loved me. I didn't think that was very fair, so here I am, looking for him. Why am I telling you this, anyway?" she looked over at Senbei.

"I want to hear it, Misao-chan," he protested. "How did you meet this boy?"

Misao almost laughed through her not quite fallen tears. She told him how Soujiro had worked for Shishio, and how she had met Kenshin who was on his way to fight Shishio. She told him about Shingetsu village and the unfinished duel. She told him her sights had been only on Aoshi, and she hadn't thought twice about Soujiro—or, if she did it was due to the creepy smile he always had. She told him how Kenshin had driven Soujiro to question himself, and the younger man had ended up walking the same path Kenshin had, to find his own truth. And she told him about meeting up with Soujiro as he walked this path as she returned to Kyoto to fight yet another villain.

It felt good to get the story out. Misao had never talked that much before. And for someone who came off so dim-witted, Senbei actually had quite a few observations to make when she was done talking. "Himura-san sounds like a good man," he told her. "But he seems sad. Does he have anyone who cares for him?"

Misao tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I think he does…but you didn't hear it from me."

"Oh, all right," he told her seriously, and it took all of Misao's willpower not to burst out in laughter. "But Seta-san seems sad too, even though you said he was smiley all the time."

"Yeah," Misao shivered as a gust of wind blew past her. "I guess he was a little sad." She closed her eyes gently. "I'm really tired, Senbei. Let's go to sleep, and will continue on to Tokyo in the morning."

After all, that was where Soujiro had killed Okubo, and Misao would've jumped off a cliff if she believed he didn't feel regret about that. Shishio had ordered Soujiro to do things that only later would he recognize that he didn't really want to do them in the first place. Killing wasn't something he had wanted to do. It was simply survival, on his part. Misao was willing to believe he saw differently at that time, and that he had changed over the years that Shishio had been dead. She wouldn't be looking for him if he hadn't. Misao didn't care that her endeavor was selfish. She had never cared much about that. Why should she sacrifice what she wanted for what Soujiro reluctantly accepted as what he wanted?

Misao replayed the part when Soujiro left again and again. Was there something she could've done to make him stay? The answer, Misao thought, was no. At that particular time, there was nothing she could've done. If it happened again right then, she was sure Soujiro would have stayed with her.

She wondered if he thought about her as much as she thought about him. A secret part of her mind whispered and giggled, knowing that Misao hoped he did think about her.

**-**

Misao yawned and stretched her arms up to the morning sun. After sharing a quick lunch of dried fish, she and Senbei were traveling the Tokkaido trail once again. She felt in the tips of her toes that today was going to be a good day.

This was proven a little while into the afternoon when their path led them by a village. Misao ran her fingers across her sack of money, thinking she couldn't bear not to have a restaurant lunch. Earlier, she had figured on eating frog again, but now that they were in this village, Misao could think of nothing else but freshly prepared beef hotpot, just like they served at the Shirobeko. Her mouth was practically watering at the thought.

Meanwhile, Senbei was being entertained by the colorful flowers that young vendors were selling. He goggled at the vibrant hues and funny shapes of the petals.

Misao glanced over at him. "Hey Senbei, I was thinking…I'm getting pretty tired, I think we should stay in this village the rest of the day, and continue on tomorrow morning. It's been a while since I slept indoors."

"If that's what you want, Misao-chan," he replied placidly, his eyes going back to the flowers.

Misao smiled and reached for her money. She handed out two of the thick, tarnished coins and in return received a small bundle of flowers. "Here," she handed the colored plants to Senbei. "But that means we have to ear breakfast on the road."

Senbei stared at her in admiration and took the flowers gingerly. "No one's ever given me anything before, Misao-chan."

Misao beamed. "It's not a problem. I can see how much you like these. Now lets go find a place for lunch."

Senbei waved to the pretty young flower vendor and followed Misao as loyally as Makkou was doing.

Misao's eyes darted through the thin crowd that formed as they got deeper into town. She scanned the surrounding buildings for restaurants, but had little luck, at least in looking for a _decent_ place.

"Misao-chan?" Senbei attempted to get her attention.

Misao was busy navigating through the crowd.

"Misao-chan!" He poked her in the arm and she looked up.

"Huh? What?"

He motioned over to a stall that was selling shish kabobs, the most wonderful smell wafting over from it. "Why don't we eat that?" Senbei asked. He looked over to Misao who was staring intently at the stall. "Misao?"

She pursed her lips, her eyes staring unblinkingly at the man who was selling a kabob to a younger man with brownish-black hair.

Senbei glanced at Makkou, who seemed twice as confused (and three times as hungry) as him. Makkou barked, but Misao didn't even flinch.

"Misao!"

This time she looked up, but her eyes seemed unfocused. "Listen, you take Makkou over to that inn and find us a room. I will buy some shish kabob and take it over to the inn so we can eat in our room," she plunked the small bag of cash into Senbei's large hands, taking a few coins in her own with which to buy food.

"Hai, Misao-chan, I'll wait for you there."

Before he could move, Misao took off, racing over to the street vendor selling shish kabob. The young buyer was still there, laughing and chatting with the old man behind the stall. In her hurry to get to the vendor, she plowed into the young man.

"Kyaa!" she cried, toppling over. The two of them fell in a heap. The vendor peeked over his stall at them.

Misao disentangled herself and sat up, rubbing her throbbing head. "Itai…"

The boy she had collided with sat staring at her in shock. "Mm…_Misao?_"

Misao opened her eyes. "It _is_ you." She moved forward and threw her arms around him, toppling back down with him beneath her. Her eyes were squeezed shut, stopping the flow of tears. "Soujiro!"

He was too surprised to do anything but say her name a second time as her cheek pressed softly against his chest. "Misao—wait—_Misao!_" He pushed her off of him.

She opened her eyes and they glistened with tears. Was Soujiro…mad?

"What are you doing here?" It was purely a question of curiosity and surprise, no accusatory tones.

"Looking for you, actually," she said in the most casual voice she could muster. She didn't let it show how much Soujiro's actions hurt. It really didn't matter. She had found him, after two weeks. Thinking of this, she began to cry again, wet salty tears streaming down her cheeks.

Soujiro scooted forward and brought her into another embrace, patting her back consolingly. "I'm sorry," he whispered into her hair. "There are times when I wish I never left you."

That made Misao smile in spite of her tears. "Soujiro…remember how you were afraid I would fall in love and start a family?"

"Hai," Soujiro replied, his heart sinking the slightest bit.

"Well, I haven't started a family, but I fell in love."

"…Oh," Soujiro's hold on her loosened.

She laughed. "He's really great, this guy of mine. Usually he's pretty secretive about what he feels, but I've gotten him to open up to me before. For a while I just liked the fact that he loved me, but now I realize it's him I want. Only, he's done some really stupid stuff that I'm not sure I'm quite ready to forgive him for."

"Like…what?" Soujiro asked, moving away from Misao slightly.

She locked eyes with him, an intense ferocity held in her turquoise orbs. "Like leaving me and deciding he was better off wandering alone."

Soujiro almost smiled, his arms tightening around Misao again. "I almost wish I hadn't found you, because I won't be able to leave you again."

"Where are we going next?" Misao asked.

"What do you mean?" Soujiro asked, perplexed.

"Soujiro…I want to be with you. No one is going to keep me from that. Not even you," she gave a bright smile and stood up, watching as Soujiro did the same. "Feeling sorry that you ever met me?"

"Not in the least," Soujiro smiled. "I guess we're off to the Tokyo government syndicate."

"Because of Okubo?" Misao couldn't help asking.

"Hai."

"Soujiro? Where are we right now?" she asked as the two of them began their way on the Tokkaido road.

"Shizuoka," he answered cheerfully.

"_What?_ We're so close to the beach?"

Soujiro nodded happily.

"Hey, Soujiro, this is near where I first met Kenshin," Misao chattered. "And you know, if I never met Kenshin I would've never met you, either. Talk about luck of the draw, really…" she trailed off as Soujiro stepped toward her and arranged a flower in her hair. He stepped back and smiled at her.

"Ano…thank you, I guess," she said, taken aback by his weird actions. They set off again, sandals scraping along the path to the place where they had met for the first time as friends.

* * *

A/N: Much of this chapter was the same as pre 04-02-05, so skimming is definitely accepted. Reviews that are sent after 04-02-05 will be answered! 


	3. Misao: For Now

Disclaimer: why is it impossible to come up with an original one of these?

_I wanted to own RuroKen_

_I thought it would be quite fun_

_So I took the book to the manga-factory_

_To see what they could do_

_Instead they kicked me out_

_"Your skin will turn quite blue!"_

_I frowned and started walking off_

_And I thought it was some sort of illusion_

When someone called my name 

_And said, "Hey, have you heard of fanfiction?"_

_They led me to the nearest computer_

_In the café of internet gamers_

_And said, "You can mess with the characters as much as you want…"_

_"Just, don't forget the disclaimer!"_

A/N: That was odd. :sweatdrop: Anyway, Misao's story takes place a few weeks before the rest of the fic, so it's around the end of February and still very cold. If you were wondering about the whole snow thing from last chapter.

The first part of this chapter is a continuation of her story. The second part, if you'll notice, is exclusive stuff added after the original post in the beginning of the year.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 3_

_Misao: For Now _

_-_

**F**rom afternoon until twilight, Misao and Soujiro did nothing but walk and consequently began talking. Soujiro had told her almost right off the bat that he'd had no progress with his wandering, his truth-finding.

Though he didn't admit it outright, Soujiro was having trouble because he couldn't think about himself and his sins when Misao's smile was always in his head, chasing those things away. Now that she was so close, he was surprised to find his mind focused and almost serene.

_Somehow, _during their travels that day, their hands had become entwined. Misao glanced at his hand holding hers, every so often, as if checking to see that it was still there. Really, she just enjoyed the sight of it.

The sun went down and the two of them realized they needed to rest for the night. At that point, they were far away from any town to reasonably get an inn to stay at. But Misao wasn't Oniwaban for nothing. She quickly went to work, Soujiro at her side, and they devised a shelter.

Misao lay back on a tree, staring up at the black sky, her eyes holding on the absence of the moon. She grinned up at the stars, which seemed to smile back. She couldn't help it. She had hardly stopped grinning since she found Soujiro.

"Misao-chan!" Soujiro announced his presence as he emerged from the depths of the wood, arms full of firewood. He dumped them down in the middle of their rock circle, and went to work arranging them. He glanced over at Misao, who seemed transfixed on the sky. She lowered her vision to his face and crawled toward him, crouching to start the fire.

Once they had a pretty steady flame going, they lay back, near exhaustion. Misao arranged herself against Soujiro, her knees drawn up and clanking together between Soujiro's. She turned her torso and laced her arms around him, situating her head in the crook of his neck.

Soujiro didn't seem to mind this position, the both of them half-pretending it was for warmth. No one was around, so it didn't matter much, just to satisfy whatever tiny nagging of propriety they each harbored.

"Are you hungry?" Soujiro asked lightly.

"Not really," Misao said. "Twelve hardtacks will do that to you." She chuckled to herself. She changed her tone of voice and began again, before silence could settle over them. "Soujiro? Do you know how long it's been since you decided to wander? Not…the last time I saw you. I mean since Shishio died, and the Juppongatana broke up."

Soujiro knew exactly when she was talking about. He had a precise answer. "Almost two years." He didn't want her to think he had been counting the days.

Misao drew circles in the center of Soujiro's palm, feeling the rough skin. Soujiro felt this gentle caress that tickled him so, and somehow urged him to speak up, and tell her everything.

"The only thing I've managed so far is to make myself feel worse about my sins," he said in an almost lighthearted way.

The circles stopped. Misao dropped his hand and gazed up at him. "Oh, Soujiro…don't. You can't." She sounded sad, but her voice was steady and normal in spite of the tears that leaked from her eyes. "I care about you. You know that. You can't be truly sinful is someone cares about you the way I do. There's something that I see in you, Soujiro, and even I don't know what it is. But I know that you need someone to care, and the reason you did what you did was, well, because you wanted that love. That's not a crime. True, you had some fault, but no one is evil. Least of all, you."

Misao's speech almost made Soujiro shed the same tears.

"You know, you and Himura aren't so different," Misao said lightly, tracing a pattern down Soujiro's forearm. "You were both misguided when you were young, and that led you to make bad decisions. But it didn't make you bad. But Soujiro, you can change the way you feel about your past. In my eyes, you have already repented, if only by admitting your crimes. But people like you…you're the hardest on yourself. Listen, no matter how many people come to Kenshin seeking revenge, he is always the person who feels the worst about his crimes. It's not enough for you just to decide to repent. But someday, Soujiro, it will be."

"I wish that were true," Soujiro muttered, looking away from the sweet girl in his lap.

"It is. Believe me," Misao replied simply. She then leaned up and pecked him quickly on the lips. It was an action of comfort rather than passion, and they both realized that. But comfort was what Soujiro needed.

"Maybe…you are right," Soujiro said after a few moments. "Maybe Himura-san and I are the same. If that's true, then…someday I can have the happy life that he doesn't seem to realize he is living. If there's someone who cares about me, then there's hope."

"That's sweet," Misao told him. Her expression sobered. "But then…are you saying that…?"

"I guess I've decided not to kill anymore. Perhaps that will help me find the truth I crave."

"Seta Soujiro…has taken an oath," Misao murmured. "A vow of abstinence…from killing."

Soujiro's serious expression lightened and he smiled that familiar boyish smile. "It's funny to see you subdued like this, Misao-chan," he joked, noting the innocent expression of surprised that came over Misao's features. "Usually you're so lively."

She blushed rather angrily and turned around so she was facing him. She then proceeded to grip the front of his shirt and twist it in anger. She pushed away from him and hopped to her feet. He kneeled in front of her, and she sent a kick straight for his head. He blocked the blow, laughing at her antics. The blows she was delivering were so different from the type he had endured as a child.

She charged at him, once he had gotten to his feet, and drove her shoulder into his gut. He doubled over and, still laughing, ducked down so that he was on the ground.

Misao growled and jumped down on him as he continued to laugh at her. Misao continued to send blows, which he joyfully received and dodged. She flipped in the air toward him, planning to push off of his shoulders. Only, he ducked and Misao sailed toward the dying fire.

Still chuckling, Soujiro grabbed a hold of her foot and yanked her back toward him, laughing uproariously as she collapsed in a heap next to him. It was a little while, but eventually Misao began laughing too. Both of them were conscious of the bond they had, a secret that was not really funny at all.

But they laughed anyway.

Misao woke to the stale scent of coal and the chilling morning air. Having nothing but a thin blanket and her own body heat, she felt especially cold.

She certainly hadn't been that cold the night before. The night before she had been…warm and safe, in Soujiro's arms.

No wonder she was so cold, then. Soujiro was nowhere to be found.

She called his name softly. The quiet sound cut through the floating morning air. She shrugged, and wasn't too alarmed when Soujiro offered no answer. He could be any place, but most likely he was getting them breakfast.

She sat up and kicked the blanket off of her, only sorry that she was freezing and there wasn't much that could be done about it. Maybe she'd walk for a while, get away from the trees where the sun could penetrate the thick layers of leaves and shine down on her. It didn't look exceptionally cloudy that day, and in Shizuoka it was rarely dropped to freezing temperature, even in winter.

Before Misao could contemplate her plan, she found that her feet were already moving. She was used to that. Her body followed her instincts and her mind just went along. It wasn't only her ninja upbringing, but her own personality as well. She realized, after a few more steps, that this was what Soujiro needed.

If he were to spend his days thinking so hard, how would he be able to journey onward? He needed to get on his feet and go.

Up ahead, Misao spotted a delicious splotch of sunshine. She hummed and continued toward it and was surprised to see that the clearing was much larger than it had looked from her path. She sat down against one of the trees, its shadow facing away from her, and happily soaked up the sunlight that fell across her lap.

A minute or so later, Misao jumped to attention at the sound of scuffing footsteps. Her eyes flashed dangerously and her hand was poised to grab her kunai if need be.

The footsteps grew louder and heavier as Misao grew more tense with the impending fight. In seconds she was on her feet, her eyes scanning the panorama around her.

She stood ready to jump just as the source of her anxiety made itself known.

Through the shrubbery and branches sprung none other than Senbei. Her short-time companion had found her again. Behind him was Makkou, and Misao felt a twang of guilt, different from when she had first spotted Senbei.

Out from her hands dropped the kunai, falling uselessly to the floor. Misao stood in shock, barely able to move. She was dimly aware of no longer being on her feet, but instead, her knees.

In front of her, Senbei stood at six feet, looking tearful and betrayed.

"S-Senbei…" Misao murmured.

"Misao," he uttered in return. His tone was not surprised, and neither was it joyful. His voice was hollow, but so clearly full of hurt. "Where did you go, Misao? Why did you leave me?"

Misao clenched her hands together and wrung the hem of her ragged skirt. "I…" she didn't have an answer. She didn't have the energy to stall. Most of all, she didn't want to lie to Senbei. She knew she had done him wrong. He had trusted her, and she had been happy to give him the chance to rely on someone, but instead she forgot about him. Misao could barely stand to think about it.

She was worse than the aunt Senbei had described. Her eyes widened. She was worse than _Aoshi!_

The very same thing Aoshi had done to her—the very thing that had all but torn her apart as a child—she had done it to someone else. Someone who was simpler, even more naïve than she had been.

"Senbei…I'm…" she couldn't even finish. Sorry? Had she wanted to hear that Aoshi was sorry when he left her? No. She couldn't just apologize. Senbei deserved more than an apology. She wished she had never met him, and instead he had met someone he could count on.

Misao tightened her hands around the cloth of her skirt. Liquid drops poured out of her eyes and her face was scrunched up in anger and regret. "I just…c-can't believe it…" she muttered. "I can't be…relied on…"

"Misao!" was Senbei's lament. His voice was gruff, harsher than she had ever heard.

She would not look up from the ground. In frustration, Senbei seized her by the shoulders and shook her whole body. "Why did you leave me, Misao?" his voice was racked with sobs. Big, weeping sobs. He shook her harder.

And even though Senbei was three times her size—_even though_ he could easily rip her apart, accident or no, Misao did not have fear. She only felt an overwhelming sadness, shamefulness because she couldn't keep her promise. The promise that everyone needed to be held sacred, and she had broken it.

Senbei tossed her against the tree and came forward, grabbing her closer to the neck this time and jerking her around violently. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her, and he didn't realize how much his grip was tearing into her collar. She knew that all he wanted was to be heard. To be recognized and acknowledged.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she said in a whisper. It could not be heard through Senbei's tantrum. His grip tightened, and Misao began to feel the pain. "Senbei I'm sorry—you're hurting me! I'm sorry, all right? I should never have—"

Her meager apology could not be heard by the raging giant of a man.

So Misao slumped down and let herself be yanked around like a rag doll. The pain was nearly insufferable, but so was her betrayal.

Quickly, her regret overcame the feeling of pain, just as Senbei was pushed away from her. She fell backward and strained to see. Senbei was sprawled out in front of her, blood dribbling down the side of his face.

She gasped and sat up quickly, noticing how much her ribs protested, but ignoring it all the same.

To her right stood Soujiro, his sword unsheathed, and his face clouded with an expression she had never seen. He was livid.

Senbei was struggling to sit up due to the deep gash in the side of his head, but before Misao could try and heal it—she owed him that much—Soujiro had struck again, and had not missed his target.

Blood poured steadily from the wound on Senbei's heart, and out of his mouth. He slumped back down, and Misao knew with a sickening feeling, that he was dead.

"_Nooo!_" she cried, but she failed to move.

Senbei was dead. After all she owed him, he was dead because of her.

Soujiro had killed him. The guilt washed over her, but the tides did not flow back again. The waves of remorse clutched at her throat, forcing the air away. Soujiro had sworn, not eight hours before, that he would never kill a living soul. He had done just that.

On account of her.

Fresh tears pushed down her cheeks. The density was so heavy that she could not see through them. That was just as well, because surrounding her and Soujiro were seven-odd fighters.

Misao let the tears crowd in front of her eyes, obscuring her vision. She did not leap up to join the fight. Instead, she slumped back, unconscious.

In her state of blackness, Misao did not see Soujiro's sword raised, his voice climbing to higher and higher volumes as he slashed his opponents. She did not see the blood that gushed from the bodies he carved.

Certainly, Misao did not see the moment or two after the fighting was over. The moment in which Soujiro blinked and looked around, sheathing his sword out of habit. When he dabbed at a blood splatter on his cheek, wondering if he had really…

Broken his vow.

Because of her.

Misao.

**_A_**_s_ _Misao finished her story, she turned her eyes from empty space to her friend's faces. They looked concerned, sympathetic, anguished, and _Misaoknew that all of them were just trying to cope with what she had said. She looked away again.

This wasn't something she had thought about. Was she disturbing their peace, their lived which they had patched together at last? Was her story going to be a burden to them? She didn't know, she didn't know.

"Misao," Kaoru spoke up softly. "I hope you'll agree to stay here for a while. I think... I think that you should."

Misao didn't say anything, but nodded. She had hoped that Kaoru would feel that way. She felt like she needed to _be_ somewhere. Since that morning she had lost sense of what was real. She needed to stop moving.

Kaoru kindly helped her young friend up and led Misao to what would be her temporary room in the dojo. Misao walked dazedly. She could feel her friends' forlorn gazes behind her and hear their whispered words of concern. She closed her eyes as Kaoru guided her into her new room. Misao just wanted her thoughts to stop moving.

-

The next day was gray and overcast, and the civilians of Tokyo knew to expect rain.

Misao let herself be taken to Megumi's clinic. Kenshin and Naruku had been worried that Misao had sustained some kind of injury during her journey. They didn't really have to worry, Misao thought as she returned to the dojo with Sano. She hadn't gotten hurt. At least, not physically.

By the time Misao and Sano were rounding the last bend to the dojo the sky had darkened completely and fat droplets of rain splattered to the ground. They quickened their pace before it started to rain hard.

Misao noticed something different as she approached the gate to the dojo. She could hear Kaoru and the Kamiya Kasshin students in the drill hall and could see Kenshin and Naruku talking in hushed voices just outside the front door.

Misao felt Sano stiffen behind her, and that's when she spotted him. The rain poured around her and through it she could make out the kneeling figure of Soujiro.

Sano grabbed hold of Misao's shoulders so suddenly that she jumped. She realized that she must have started to fall, so put in shock at seeing Soujiro.

"You all right itachi?" Sano said into Misao's ear as he righted her. For once she did not mind the nickname.

She stood without his help and nodded very slowly, not caring whether Sano could see her answer or not. She simply stood there, raindrops slapping at her, drenching her completely. From across the courtyard Naruku looked up from her conversation with Kenshin and gasped when she saw Misao. Misao could see Naruku turning back to Kenshin, speaking more rapidly.

Misao took a deep breath and with Sano at her side she strode across the yard, past Soujiro and past Naruku and Kenshin to the dry inside.

Once she and Sano had reached the inside of the house, Misao exhaled, realizing that she had not once breathed the whole length of the yard. She turned and looked up at Sano in gratitude.

"I'm not ready to talk to him," Misao told him, not by way of explanation. Just so she could be sure that it was true.

Sano shrugged. "It's your call."

Misao could not stop herself from turning her head to stare back at Soujiro. She could see his face almost clearly, but it hurt to even look at him. The worst part was that Misao saw a true aching in the boy's eyes. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she could also see a strong, urging _need._

Unable to take any more, Misao looked away, feeling her eyes fill up with tears. She looked back at the concerned face of Sanosuke, but didn't say anything as she turned on her heel and walked down the hall to her room.

Misao quickly rung herself out and changed into dry clothes because she knew that's what she was supposed to do. And she wanted to do normal things and not have to think. Her braid was coming loose because it was so sopping wet so she undid it completely. Then she re-braided it. The rhythmic motion of her hands was soothing and helped her to stop shaking.

She was just tying off the end of her braid when Naruku opened the door. She stood their, staring steadily at Misao.

"He's been their almost since you left for Megumi's," Naruku spoke. "He didn't say anything to us. Just sat there. And now that it's raining, he still hasn't moved. Not even to keep dry."

Misao didn't say anything, feeling herself get inwardly mad at Naruku. She felt that Naruku was trying to make her feel guilt or _something_ because she wouldn't talk to Soujiro. But Naruku didn't know. She didn't know what it was like not being able to look at the only person her heart ached for.

"Could it be that Soujiro is feeling just as torn up about this as you are?" Naruku spoke again. "I know you're thinking that I'm trying to guilt you into talking to him, but I wouldn't want that. I would rather him just sit there than talk to a guilty Misao. I just couldn't tell if you knew why Soujiro is here."

Misao snapped her out of her angry thoughts towards her older friend. She was being stupid. Of course Naruku knew what it was like to feel something like that. Misao wondered how she could have gotten so wrapped up in her own problems. Naruku had gone through a betrayal like that before. Misao looked up at her friend, wondering if she could learn to snap back completely. Someday, wouldn't she be able to return to her old demeanor, to laugh and smile and really mean it, without thinking of her tragedy?

Misao was saddened when she realized she honestly didn't know.

-

Naruku didn't know _why_ she felt so weak against Misao. She supposed it was because the two of them had always been strong together. Now they were weak together.

She let Misao sleep in, even though the girl wasn't physically sick. No, actually, Naruku didn't _let_ Misao sleep in, she made a point of _making_ Misao sleep in. She tiptoed around quietly, barked at Yahiko when he was too loud and told Kenshin to save soup for Misao when she awoke.

Naruku wasn't sure what made her want to do this. Was she protecting Misao against another day? Or was she protecting herself from seeing what Misao had become? Naruku realized that _she_ wanted Misao to find herself as well. Almost as much as Misao wanted it. Naruku wasn't sure she could be herself if Misao wasn't. But as the day progressed, Naruku would come to realize she didn't understand how _not_ to be herself—flaws and strengths alike. She had forgotten something she knew even as a small child. She had forgotten how to pretend. And she had forgotten how to lie.

In the hallway, Naruku was startled when the front door burst open. It was only Kenshin, going outside to start on the laundry. As the door swung open, Naruku looked down the hall and out into the courtyard and discovered one crucial detail. Soujiro was not there.

She dashed down the hall and outside before the door could close. It was fairly sunny outside, and the sky predicted good weather for the day, despite the showers they had brought the day before.

Naruku looked around the yard for any sign of Soujiro and she saw none. She looked over at Kenshin who was standing at the clothesline and looked back at her perplexed face. A light breeze lifted the ends of various bedclothes that were hanging to dry. Naruku shook her head and opened the front door again, retreating inside.

It didn't make any sense. Why would Soujiro leave after spending a devastatingly rainy night just standing out there. She knew he had stayed the entire night.

But why did he leave? Could he not bear to have Misao walk past him like that again? Naruku just couldn't make sense of it.

She headed for Misao's room and when she went inside she was surprised to see Misao already dressed and rolling up her futon. Naruku stood wordlessly in the doorway like she had done the day before.

It was a moment before Misao acknowledged her. "What is it, Naruku?" she asked, not in a completely unkind way.

Naruku pursed her lips. "Soujiro is gone."

It was then that Misao's head shot up and she dropped what she was doing. "_What?_" she exploded.

Naruku was taken aback. She had thought that Soujiro's absence would be a good thing in Misao's eyes. Unless…

Misao jumped to her feet, hurriedly swiping her hair away from her face. "No, he can't be gone!"

She sprinted past Naruku and down the hallway to outside, or so Naruku presumed.

Naruku wondered if Misao had been planning to talk to Soujiro that day and what she was going to say. Or if Misao had realized that she needed to see Soujiro only after Naruku told her that he had left. She heard the faint sound of the dojo gate crashing closed and Naruku knew that whatever the case, Misao was going to do anything in her power to find Soujiro again.

­-

Misao was convinced that she had personally looked in every corner of Tokyo for Soujiro. Even the shadiest districts. _Everywhere._ The proof of this was that when Misao arrived back at the dojo much later that day, she hadn't even done it on purpose. She thought she had been going somewhere else. Her search for Soujiro had been fruitless, so Misao entered the dojo yard once again, disheartened.

Naruku, who was smiling, greeted her. "Misao," she said encouragingly. "I haven't seen you like that since Aoshi left."

Misao couldn't help but to smile, realizing that what Naruku said was true. That meant that Misao was returning to her old ways in some way.

"Do you want to spar, Naruku?" Misao asked, suddenly feeling energetic despite her hours of trekking through Tokyo.

Naruku looked surprised, but also happy. "Yes."

So right then in the courtyard amongst drying laundry and muffled yells of Kamiya Kasshin students, Misao and Naruku each got into defensive positions, grinning rather stupidly.

"Kyaa!" Misao said as she made the first strike. Naruku blocked and threw a blow back. The two of them began getting into the rhythm of how their many sparring matches were, their movements fluid and precise, and their bodies knowing exactly how to respond to each other. Since they had grown up together, they'd had matches like this too many times to count, and their techniques were used to each other.

"It's kind of strange, though, isn't it?" Naruku said as she blocked Misao's kick. "That Soujiro would leave so suddenly." She sent a kick to Misao's head but the girl ducked and tried to trip Naruku up.

In return Naruku jumped and kicked Misao's kneeling form over. The ninja girl regained her stance and charged once again.

"I mean, he braved a storm just to wait for you," Naruku went on, dodging Misao's rapid punches.

"I wish he had stayed a little longer," Misao admitted. "Because it took me so long to realize that I needed to talk with him." Yet, some part of Misao knew that Soujiro's disappearance was, at that moment, for the best.

* * *

A/N: I think that now this has more closure, I will be having a much easier time with this whole fic. Whew! Thank you to everyone who has or will review! It means a lot to me, that you'd spend time to try and help me, and tell me what I'm doing right so I can keep doing it! Again, I'm sorry to have to put you through this whole "Usashi didn't think things through enough and now has to go back and fix it!" ordeal. But I really needed it, and I stillneed your support! 


	4. Kaoru: Kyoto Bound

Hey, hey you guys, guess what? I was walking down to Santa Monica (street) today, and this guy comes up to me and says, "hey, Happy Easter, here are the rights to Rurouni Kenshin!"

In reply, I say, "Wow! Oh my god! You just made my month!"

An unimpressed lawyer now shuts me up. "That's a very nice story, miss. Now, would you like to tell the real thing or do we have to resort to more extreme methods?"

Glancing warily at the malicious gleam in the lawyer's eyes, I break down. "Okay, fine _I don't own Rurouni Kenshin_. And I never will, either! And that guy was probably a hobo and not an executive of Shonen Jump, or Sony or VIZ!"

A/N: Um…not much to say, actually. Having all of the students' tactics complied like this is very amusing. It's like their just asking her, one after another, to date (or court, whatever) her. I mean, could you imagine Kaoru going out with some kenjutsu student kid? Apparently, Kaoru can! Or so she thinks…

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 4_

_Kaoru: Kyoto Bound _

_-_

**K**aoru sat on the porch next to Misao and the two of them munched on the onigiri that had been served for lunch. Kaoru was grinning surreptitiously as she overlooked the courtyard, which was swamped with teenaged boys from her kenjutsu class.

"Ah…it's so nice to be teaching a class again," Kaoru sighed happily.

Misao reached for another onigiri and hid a giggle. She knew that Kaoru was very happy with the state of things, but she got a similar suspicion to what Sano and Naruku already thought—that most of Kaoru's students were actually disguised suitors.

Naruku, just back from her own training, sat down on the porch next to Kaoru. "They're kind of distracting," Naruku said, referring to the students. There was no edge to her blatantly honest tone whatsoever.

"D-distracting?" Kaoru sat up quickly and her voice became high and probing. Misao shot a meaningful look at Naruku, who didn't catch it.

Instead she glanced up and saw Kaoru's distraught expression. "Well, I mean, it's great for you and everything, but I can't help feeling they don't like me very much."

"They hardly _know_ you Naruku…how could they not like you?" Kaoru asked in a concerned tone of voice.

"What did you say to them?" Misao wanted to know. She could already tell something was up.

"Oh…well, you know." Obviously, neither of the other girls knew. "A couple of them were convinced I was trying to take your title as the kenjutsu princess, Kaoru…as if you were the only woman who practiced self-defense, really, don't you think Misao? And anyway, we got into a kind of argument," Naruku told her friends with a shrug.

"Well what did you say?" Misao said in a warning voice.

"Just that I wasn't trying to impugn on your honor or whatever, and that I was your friend, but they were very indignant. So I told them to come back and talk to me once they started learning kenjutsu and stop lusting after their teacher…well, that didn't make them too happy, so I told them that they didn't stand a chance with you, anyway, and that they should learn from you for the sake of learning kenjutsu and not to try and find a way to court you…_that_ didn't go down too well," Naruku glanced up nonchalantly at Kaoru, and was surprising to see a shocked expression on her friend's face.

Kaoru was completely baffled, and extremely flushed. "N-naru! Why did you say that? You've probably scared them all away now! They don't have intentions like that, they're good students!"

"No doubt," Naruku replied, shoveling the last of her rice into her mouth. "I'm just thinking that they want more of the princess of kendo than the actual learning of it…"

Misao had to admit, she agreed with Naruku more than she sided with Kaoru, but she couldn't help feeling a little apologetic for Naruku's words.

Kaoru quickly shook it off, chuckling almost at Naruku and stood up. In front of her, the students were cleaning up their lunches and forming the straight line that they always did after lunch. She marched up to them, Yahiko jumping up and hurrying at her heels.

"All right everyone," Kaoru said loudly. "We'll continue today's lesson out here because it's such a nice day. I want to see everyone doing a straight, forward swing. Hands in correct positions and don't forget your right foot forward!"

She paced the row, which Yahiko had joined, grumbling lightly about the simplistic training. Kaoru gave him a sympathetic look before moving on.

She frowned when she spotted Reijiro, whose swing was faulted enough for her to point it out. Nobody in the class had a perfect forward swing, but she saw a definite flaw in Reijiro's.

"Reijiro," she said. "What's wrong with your swing?"

Reijiro looked up earnestly. "I don't know."

Kaoru took the shinai away from him, getting in the proper stance for a forward swing. She instructed him to stand behind her with his hands on the shinai. She moved his grip up and put her hands over his, guiding him in a fluid swinging motion.

Kaoru couldn't see, but behind her, Reijiro seemed a little more interested in the place where Kaoru's gi bared her shoulder. Kaoru had never quite grown back into all her clothes from when she had lost so much weight being in a coma for a nearly a week.

Reijiro's hand slid casually over the pale skin of Kaoru's shoulder. The raven-haired girl froze up, looking extremely unnerved. Behind her, Reijiro was getting slightly dizzy, and a little too cocky from the scent of her hair.

Yahiko looked away quickly, utterly disgusted. That sort of display, especially when unwelcome, was completely uncalled for. Had it happened to anyone other than Kaoru, Yahiko would have jumped in right then and there.

Fortunately, Kaoru was just as clever as Yahiko gave her credit for. She slipped away from Reijiro and grabbed her own bokken. She then cleared her throat. "Class, I'm going to demonstrate a left-side thrust." The students turned to her while she demonstrated the move on poor, unsuspecting Reijiro. While he felt the pain of Kaoru's bokken smashing into his skull, Yahiko couldn't help not feeling sorry for Reijiro. He wasn't going to try anything again too soon.

"Now, pair up and start doing drills," Kaoru ordered. The other boys, impressed with Kaoru's demonstration, did as they were told. Kaoru looked on in satisfaction, forgetting about the instance with Reijiro for the time being.

-

It was early in the morning and Kaoru was sitting on the porch steps, watching Misao out of the corner of her eye. It occurred to her that there was someone in Kyoto who would've liked to be informed of Misao's arrival at the dojo.

It was the same someone who had been occupying a spot in Kaoru's mind for quite some time. It was then that Kaoru realized Misao was the only person who didn't have some idea of what was going on between Kaoru and Aoshi. Even though she knew Misao loved Soujiro, Kaoru wondered if the young ninja would be jealous.

Not that anything really _had_ been going on between Aoshi and Kaoru. After their small lip-lock at the train station in Kyoto, Kaoru and Aoshi had been exchanging letters as friends. She had received one the day before, and Aoshi had replied to her query from her previously sent letter. "Have you gotten any word from Misao?" Kaoru had written in her letter. This had been more than a week ago, before Misao had shown up at the dojo. Now, reading Aoshi's reply of "no," Kaoru felt a little bad that she hadn't thought to write him immediately.

"Oi! Kaoru!" Misao called from where she was hanging laundry.

Kaoru jumped at hearing her name. "What is it, Misao?"

"I think someone is coming up the path," was the reply.

Kaoru wiped her hands on the front of her kimono (she knew it was a bad habit)

and stepped off the porch. "Who's here?"

A second later, a young figure stepped into the courtyard. He looked sheepish and uncertain.

"Anzai-kun," Kaoru swept over to him. "You're early. Class doesn't start for another forty minutes."

He was not wearing his usual training hakama, so perhaps Anzai already knew that. He wore what might have been considered ridiculous, at least on him: a white collared shirt and a blue vest, a yellow tie around his neck in addition. In his hands was a bouquet of sweet-scented flowers. He was blushing red and fidgeting, quite obviously flustered.

"Uh—uhm…G-good morning K-kaoru…" he stuttered, failing to cover up the fact that he was completely unsure of himself. "These, um…are for you." He shyly handed her the flowers.

Kaoru's eyes were wide and she quickly exchanged frenzied glances with Misao, who was quietly beckoning Kenshin over.

Kaoru was polite enough to accept Anzai's flowers, which smelled rich and strong when pressed against her face. Kenshin arrived next to her, looking at Anzai in bafflement.

Anzai gulped and spun around to face Kenshin, who emitted a soft 'oro.' Anzai smashed his two hands together and went into a respectful bow. "P—please Himura-san, I beg of you to let me take fair Kaoru-san out tonight!" His eyes were slammed shut as he awaited the answer.

Kenshin pointed to himself. "Me?"

Kaoru nearly dropped the flowers, her face distorted into a flabbergasted expression. It was hard to tell, between the two of them, who was more astounded.

Kaoru considered. It wouldn't be _so_ bad going out with this boy, letting him lead her around town as if she had never been there before. He was almost exactly her age. She tried to imagine their hands laced together, she behind him laughing while he treated her to dinner and a show of fireworks. She thought about going to a festival with him, her head resting on his shoulder when she got tired. She imagined kissing him, his arms hesitating, hovering around her face, and then reaching up to free her raven locks from the restricting ribbon. His glacier-like eyes would be closed as their lips touched and Kaoru's hands would brush along the contours of his cheeks…

Oops. Kaoru blinked and studied Anzai's muddy brown eyes, his unanswered question lingering in his expression.

"Dear god," she muttered before heaving her flowers into Kenshin's hands and spinning around. She flew past Naruku in the dojo hallway, stopping at her door.

She went inside to pack her bags.

-

Naruku sat on her heels, her chin propped up by her hands. "So…" she mused. "You really are leaving."

Folding up a plain purple kimono, Kaoru glanced across the room at her friend. "Yeah," she smiled wryly. "It's sort of sudden, but I just felt like I should go."

Naruku was silent, soaking in Kaoru's words. Her own soft voice emerged among her thoughts. "Do you love him?"

Kaoru didn't falter in her task. She slid the neatly folded kimono into her bag. Then she looked up at Naruku, her blue eyes clear. "I don't know."

Naruku nodded absently, bobbing her head to some unheard rhythm.

"But you know," Kaoru went on. "I'm going to see him so he'll know about Misao."

Naruku believed her. Personal reasons aside, Kaoru really did want Aoshi to know what had happened to Misao, and mostly that Misao was safe. Perhaps she could have sent a letter, but Naruku agreed that going to see him in person would discourage any sort of misunderstanding, especially regarding Soujiro.

But, Naruku knew that Kaoru also really, really wanted to see Aoshi.

"Want to know what I noticed this morning?" Naruku asked conversationally. "Sakura buds are forming. It's almost time for them to bloom!"

Kaoru considered this. "That means I'll be back in time for _kaika-yosou_," she mused. "If all goes well."

She closed her bags and gathered them on her back and in her hands.

"You're just lucky Misao didn't want to tag along," Naruku said.

"Misao isn't ready to go back to Kyoto yet. It's just like Kenshin told me, when Misao used to be looking for Aoshi," Kaoru replied. "Except this time it's Soujiro. Since there's a sign of him in Tokyo, Tokyo is where Misao will remain."

They walked outside and Misao stood up to greet them (but mostly Kaoru, Naruku noticed.)

"Good morning, Megumi-san!" Naruku brightened when she saw the lady doctor walking through the gate. She grinned even bigger upon seeing that Megumi was carrying a tray of food.

"Oh good, I've made it here in time," Megumi answered, regarding Kaoru. "Oh, I still can't believe it! Our tanuki-chan, going off on her own to Kyoto. And to see Shinomori, ohohoho…"

"_Our tanuki_?" Misao wondered, ignoring the implications about Aoshi completely.

Naruku grinned as Megumi did a very surprising thing. She encircled Kaoru with her arms and squeezed her in a quick embrace. "Don't do anything too rash."

"Relax Megumi, she's not Sanosuke," Naruku replied for Kaoru, whose face was rather blue, but smiling, from Megumi's hug.

"Someone say my name?" Sano asked, strolling in. He saw Kaoru with all her bags gathered in her hands and he walked toward her. He wrapped an arm around Kaoru's waist and planted a small kiss to her forehead. "Hey, good luck Jou-chan," he whispered into her hair.

Kenshin wiped his hands and strode toward the crowd of his friends, Yahiko right behind him. Kenshin stood patiently as Sano released Kaoru and the latter stepped forward into Kenshin's arms, give him a tight hug. They broke apart and Kaoru ruffled Yahiko's hair.

He responded by throwing his arms around her waist. Kaoru was very surprised but put her hands on his back.

"I'll be working real hard. And I promise to take care of the dojo while you're gone," he said, his voice muffled by her kimono. "Thanks for everything."

Kaoru smiled, realizing how prepared Yahiko was to take on responsibility.

She stepped away from her friends, a sad smile on her face. She looked at Naruku and was surprised when the girl had tears glistening in her eyes. The two of them hugged and Kaoru found herself with her own tears to wipe away.

Misao stepped forward and they hugged as well. "I'm sorry I couldn't come to help explain…" Misao whispered. "I'm sorry, and thank you."

"Oh! I'll miss you all so much!" She exclaimed, half-laughing out of sheer happiness and half-crying.

"It's all right, Kaoru-dono, it's not even two weeks," Kenshin reassured her.

Kaoru nodded, wiping her eyes. She sniffled. "Still. I love you guys. Be good while I'm gone!" With that she gathered her bags and turned around, walking out the dojo gate, her swinging ponytail disappearing as she walked away.

Her five friends watching as she left them behind, grinning through their tears. They remained there a moment longer, invisible glue binding them together, the common bond of Kaoru silently connecting them. Then she disappeared and they blinked tears away, the spell broken and replaced by the day's tasks.

-

Kaoru's heart had been pounding furiously since the second she had stepped off the boat in Kyoto. She had never been to the city alone, but that part was exciting, not nerve-racking. (The four-day boat ride she could have done without. Last time, at least, she had had Yahiko to sympathize with, but the boat trip she had just completed was agonizingly boring. She had nothing to do but imagine what everyone at the dojo was doing.)

Actually, Kaoru's rapid heartbeat may have had something to do with excitement. That, and anticipation. With her bags tossed carelessly over her shoulder, Kaoru set off in the direction of the Aoiya. She traveled a little bit off the main road, so she could get there quicker. Her time was not pending, but her patience most certainly was.

She stepped down a slope carefully, hiking up the brown bag on her shoulder as she slid to the bottom.

And that's when she spotted it. The tall lanterns that marked the entrance to the Aoiya. Instead of feeling unsure and meek, Kaoru stared at them with determination, striding quickly forward. She did not stop or hesitate until she reached the front door and had knocked resolutely.

It was then she allowed her heart to beat quickly and her hand to run through her hair nervously. The thirty seconds of waiting for the door to be answered were nerve-racking, and felt like they lasted thirty minutes.

It was Okina who answered. "_Yees?_ What can Okina, owner of the Aoiya do to help such a pretty—" his stopped as he recognized her. "Kaoru-chan!"

Before he could pull her into a hug she shuffled away. By that time Okina was talking a mile a minute, asking questions about what was going on in Tokyo.

"Ano…I'm here to see Aoshi…it's kind of important," she added.

Okina silenced at once. He stepped away from the door and leaned back into the hallway. "_Aoshi! It's for you!_"

Kaoru winced at the loud bellow. It seemed to have done the trick, however, because seconds later, Aoshi stood in place of Okina.

"Good morning, Kamiya," he greeted.

Upon hearing his voice, Kaoru lost all sense of anything. Why was she in Kyoto? Did it matter? She opened her mouth, not even sure what words were going to spill out.

"I come all the way here from Tokyo and I get 'Kamiya-san?'"

* * *

A/N: So, there you have it. Kaoru has a reason to go to Kyoto. My, oh, my, is this fic becoming one of those…what do you call them? Stories with a plot? (I'm just kidding you, guys, this story is definitely going to be very plot-driven later on. It's just taking a while to set everything up!)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the next few chapters. Please continue to send support and feedback, you don't know how happy I am when I see reviews in my inbox!


	5. Kaoru: Sacrifices and Shortcuts

Disclaimer: The only things I own are the wisdom of my mind and the strength of my heart.

Though I might trade those for the rights to Rurouni Kenshin. But I hear these days that people only really go for money, and I don't really have that in abundance. So owning any sort of copyrights is kind of out of the question for now. But on a brighter note, I do own a used match!

A/N: Another chapter for Aoshi/Kaoru! This one has Aoshi in it, I promise. Their conversation has been re-written and there is also exclusively new material post 04-02-05 afterwards. I know that my bio says it's in chapter six, but I had to take a chapter out because I realized it was very pointless. So, sorry, we don't get to see what's going on in Tokyo while Kaoru is gone!

That also goes for the next chapter. It's chapter _six_ that is going to be virtually all new. Not chapter seven. I'm trying to fix it in my bio, but the page won't load, so please excuse the discrepancy.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 5_

_Kaoru: Sacrifices and Shortcuts_

_-_

**K**aoru sat in the kitchen alone, a cup of steaming hot tea in front of her.

"Not quite as sunny as it was a few hours ago, eh?" she commented, shivering as Aoshi entered the room behind her.

Aoshi shook his head, ignoring her last words. "Kaoru, why did you come here?" he asked it as if he truly did not understand.

The thing was, neither did Kaoru. "I—um…well…" the truth was that Kaoru had a perfectly legitimate excuse. She had planned to tell him quite plainly that she felt she needed to tell him of Misao's arrival. However, with his pinned eyes staring into her the way they were now, it was difficult to get anything out, and instead off of her doubts raced out of her mouth. "It was a stupid thing to do. I'm sorry. I regret to bother you. I…guess I was just worried about Misao…maybe I should go back now."

Aoshi's expression was one of surprise and softness. He draped an over-sized haori around her, and she did not ignore the fact that his fingers brushed against her collar. The coat, meant for warmth and relief, instead induced a chill, one that started deep in her stomach and shot up to her throat.

The raw coldness intensified as Aoshi took a seat across from her, his placating gaze focused on her alone. It was strange and rare to see him dressed in the soft yukata fabric, so different from the dark, stiff clothes he normally wore. Kaoru would say the light color was flattering; it softened his features and made him look younger, and still in an odd way made him seem older and wiser than the Aoshi who dressed in black and cursed the world.

Kaoru turned her attention to his face once again as he spoke. "Stay. You said yourself; you came all the way from Tokyo. I'm only surprised that you're here."

"Actually, I came to tell you that Misao showed up at the dojo," Kaoru said a little too quickly.

"I see," he replied. Somehow he seemed unsurprised, as if he had been expecting that. "I knew she would end up in Tokyo at some point."

Kaoru looked up, surprised. "Yes, but she's in a bad way…"

Aoshi leaned forward, which startled Kaoru slightly. His eyes were very serious and clouding over in urgency. "In what way?"

"Well…it's that kid, Soujiro," Kaoru said, now unable to tear her gaze from Aoshi's eyes. And then the whole story spilled out, every detail that she could remember from what Misao had told them. She was sure she mixed a few things up, but she at least told him the important parts. She hoped.

When she was done, Aoshi sat back again. He was very quiet, and Kaoru sustained that silence as well. She took a sip of her tea and waited for him to say something.

"Did Misao say anything else about the men that attacked Soujiro after he had killed Senbei?" Aoshi wanted to know.

"Oh!" Kaoru almost jumped at his sudden question. It was definitely not what she expected him to ask. Nevertheless, she racked her brains for anything Misao might've said. "No. She said she passed out, at least partly."

Aoshi nodded, though he didn't seem satisfied with this answer. The truth was, the arrival of those six men sparked a memory within him. It could have just been another link to Soujiro, but Aoshi was strongly reminded of the time Soujiro had used the _Four Priests of Abukuma _to test Aoshi's strength when he had set off to Kyoto to fight Kenshin. It was a hard time in his life to remember, because he had been so alone and so hungry fro strength. But he suspected that those men that had attacked Soujiro were serving a similar purpose to Aoshi's _Four Priests_.

Aoshi was roused from his deep thoughts by the inquiring blue eyes of Kaoru.

"Naruku sent word before you arrived," Aoshi informed her.

"Really?" Kaoru brightened. "That was thoughtful of her."

"She mentioned your students…?" Aoshi said quizzically.

Kaoru looked confused for a moment but then laughed softly when she realized what he was getting at. "Oh! Anything that Naruku says about them probably isn't true."

Aoshi nodded, no change in his expression.

"The thing is, I'm not sure how long my stay here will be. I do kind of need to get back to Tokyo, especially with Misao and everything…" Kaoru smiled. "But, can I trouble you for a room, tonight at least?"

She looked down and began digging around in her things for her coin pouch. She continued rummaging through her things until Aoshi reached across the table, grasping her small hand in his. "I assure you, it will be free of charge."

Kaoru couldn't help but let a small, slightly nervous smile flit across her face.

"Omasu," Aoshi called. Kaoru realized that his voice didn't become louder when he called. He somehow just made himself easier to hear.

Omasu arrived shortly. She brightened at seeing Kaoru.

"Can you show Kamiya-san to one of our empty rooms?" Aoshi asked.

Omasu nodded quickly to Aoshi and began chatting with Kaoru as they walked away. When Kaoru passed by Aoshi, she leaned down.

"_Don't_ call me Kamiya," she hissed, and then resumed talking with Omasu.

Aoshi tried not smirk at Kaoru's words as Okina entered the room.

"Aoshi-kun," Okina said in a hushed tone, swooping down and sitting in Kaoru's vacated seat. "I want you to go to Tokyo with Kaoru-san."

Aoshi nodded, for the most part unsurprised. He knew what this was about.

"I believe that we'll get valuable information about a possible underground crime ring," Okina went on.

Again, Aoshi nodded. He was familiar with that rumor, and knew that it was the real reason Okina had come home from an Okiya late the night before.

"I want you to gather information in Tokyo," Okina instructed. "Anything you can find about this. I believe that Seta-san may have encountered part of the crime ring."

So, Okina had been listening in to Kaoru's story. This did not surprise Aoshi. Along with his reputation for torture, Okina had always been among the most skilled for stealth, second, probably, to Aoshi only.

Okina discreetly held out a piece of paper that was folded in half.

Aoshi took it and glanced at it. It contained a short list of places where sections of the crime ring were thought to be meeting. The paper contained no specific dates of when the crime ring might be spotted, which worried Aoshi very much. He folded the paper, this time twice, and pocketed it.

Aoshi looked back up at Okina. "I would like to keep this a secret from Kaoru."

Okina shrugged as he began walking away. "That Kamiya girl is your concern. Tell her what you like."

Aoshi nodded, and the two onmistu parted ways.

-

Kaoru awoke to the soft pattering of rain and someone rustling around on the other side of the room.

She sat up, throwing the covers off of her upper body and yawned in satisfaction. She stretched her arms up and then paused.

Someone in her room…someone rummaging through her _clothes?_ She spun around immediately, her mouth open to shriek for help. The figure who was stooped over in the corner of the room shot toward her. Without thinking, Kaoru aimed for the solar plexus and swung back as hard as she could.

Instead, she connected with the intruder's forearm, as he had successfully blocked. Her force was so great that it still caused her trespasser to stumble back with a soft "oof!"

"Good morning, Kamiya," Aoshi said, getting to his feet.

Kaoru covered her mouth, realizing who the intruder was. "Oh, sorry about that…"

"Well I can see why your friends in Tokyo don't worry about you when you cross Honshu all by yourself," he returned in a conversational tone.

She shrugged. "But what are you doing in my room, anyway?" she tried to keep suspicion out of her voice, dearly hoping that he had nothing to do with her personals.

"Packing," Aoshi replied briskly, slinging a sack over his shoulder and exiting her room.

Kaoru got up and followed at his heels. "Pack…ing?"

"Yes. Packing. Getting your clothes together so we can leave," Aoshi said, a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Kaoru still seemed unable to grasp the concept. "We?" is all she said. "_We're _leaving today?"

"Yes. I'm accompanying you to Tokyo," Aoshi replied, not even looking at her.

"I thought we established the fact that I can cross Japan by myself," Kaoru shot back.

Aoshi didn't answer but instead stopped abruptly, sending an odd glance Kaoru's way.

"You may want to get dressed," he suggested, eying her pajamas in a way that wasn't entirely unappreciative.

Kaoru exercised control over her cheeks, willing herself to not blush. "That could be a good idea," she replied, as though mulling deeply over the decision. She turned on her heel and headed back to her room. "I'll see you at breakfast, I suppose."

Kaoru stepped around her room until she found the outfit that Aoshi had left out of her packed belongings. It was a dark red kimono paired with a lavender obi. As Kaoru put it on, she wondered if Aoshi had picked out such a stylish combination by accident.

When she had finished dressing, she walked down the hall to the dining room. She found that it was completely empty and also that Aoshi had already finished his breakfast, neither of which surprised her very much. It was much too early for anyone to be awake, except perhaps those who had a journey ahead of them.

Aoshi was sitting patiently at the table, a piece of paper in his hands. He didn't say anything as Kaoru sat down to the breakfast he had prepared.

"What's that?" Kaoru asked with her mouth full of rice. She motioned toward the paper in Aoshi's hand.

Aoshi glanced down at it. "It's something I'm sending to your friends in Tokyo."

"_Our_ friends," Kaoru corrected. She wiped her mouth. "Well, what does the letter say?"

Aoshi wordlessly passed it to her, and she realized it was much to short to constitute as a letter. All it said was,

_T. _

_Kamiya will be returned to you shortly._

_D. _

Kaoru looked up and took another sip of miso soup. "Who's it _for?_"

Aoshi raised an eyebrow. "Naruku."

Kaoru swallowed, looking confused. "Then why does it say 'T?'"

"It was a joke when Naruku was younger. She made up spy names for us, and made herself 'tanto-chan.' 'T-chan' is what Kuro and Shiro would call her," Aoshi explained patently.

"She named herself 'little dagger?'" She guessed it made sense. A nine-year-old living amongst a group of ninjas would want a name like that. "So then what's 'd?' What was your name?"

Aoshi pursed his lips, unsure if he could get off with not answering. When Kaoru's curious stare did not relent, he sighed. "Naruku decided I should be _daizu_."

Without waiting for her reaction, he took the note back and strode out of the room. "Finish up and I'll meet you outside."

Kaoru stared after him. She looked down at her soup and laughed. "Aoshi's nickname was 'soybean'?"

In ten minutes, Kaoru had finished her breakfast and was stepping outside. She surveyed the scene in front of her, hidden by the pounding rain. She spotted Aoshi standing with an umbrella up.

Kaoru took a deep breath and then rushed out from under the awning, holding up an arm to try and shield her from the rain until she was safely under the umbrella. She looked up at Aoshi and was surprised to see that half of him was getting wet in the rain. He was holding the umbrella so it covered Kaoru and kept her completely dry and him only partially dry.

Kaoru soon realized that it wasn't conscious on Aoshi's part. He wasn't trying to be noble, but keeping Kaoru completely dry was a natural instinct. As they set off, Kaoru grinned and realized that in terms of companionship, there wasn't anyone she wanted to be with more than the person she was walking next to.

-

Kaoru couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive as she and Aoshi reached the river's banks. Though, after three days of travel with Aoshi, she couldn't help but trust him, and this was no exception. No matter how threatening the river looked…no matter how very terrified she was at the mere thought of crossing it…Kaoru would trust that Aoshi would get her back to Tokyo safely.

It wasn't a particularly wide or a very deep river, but the rapids were rushing quickly over the slippery, jagged rocks. As she looked at how ominous the whole scene looked, Kaoru felt her stomach churn uneasily, as if warning her of the dangers ahead. She stared up at the sky to calm herself. It was faintly gray, but seemed to be slowly giving way to blue, which Kaoru took as a sign of good fortune.

She glanced at Aoshi, whose gaze was fixed steadily on the river. He seemed to be mapping their trail across it.

"I'll go first," Aoshi announced. Kaoru had no intention of disagreeing.

Before he stepped into the river, however, he glanced around and his vision locked onto a small sapling. He took hold of one of the thicker branches and using proper leverage he snapped it off.

"I'll hold this out for you if you need help," Aoshi explained. Kaoru did not reply, due to the fact that her heart was currently in her throat.

With that said, Aoshi tugged at his shirt and tossed it away from his body.

Kaoru tried not to stare, telling her that it was an invasion of his privacy, but his back was turned, and he had simply taken it off in front of her, so she didn't feel too bad when she snuck a peek or two. Or when she gawked rather obviously.

Aoshi bent and stowed his shirt in his bag. He turned back to Kaoru, who blushed at the sight of his bare chest. Mentally, she berated herself, but her inner voice was rather weak.

"Are you ready?" Aoshi called to her.

Unable to her him clearly over the raging river, Kaoru hurried forward, hitching her back up on her shoulders.

"Are you ready to cross?" Aoshi asked again in a very serious tone.

Barely a foot away from him, Kaoru nodded, not breaking eye contact.

"I trust you," she replied in all honesty.

Aoshi's broad hand brushed against her collar and settled on her shoulder in a gentle squeeze. "Stay close," he said.

Kaoru took the words to heart as Aoshi stepped out into the shallows of the river, tree-branch in hand. They waded out to about thigh-height water when Aoshi located their first stepping-stone, its crown barely breaking the surface of the water. In any case, Kaoru was glad they were anywhere above the water, because she had begun to feel the pull of the swift current, dragging her in.

Aoshi glanced back at her once again, and when she gave a firm nod he pressed onward. They stepped over jagged rocks and onto round, smooth ones, which might as well have been just as dangerous. Quite a few times Kaoru was sure she was going to slide right off and get swept up by the river. The rocks they stood on were generally not all that dry and usually topped with furry green moss.

Still, Kaoru trusted Aoshi, and she knew he would not have led her this way if he didn't know how to get out of it.

"We're more than half-way there," Aoshi commented over the roaring water.

The thought was comforting, but the stepping-stone ahead of Kaoru was rather far away. Aoshi had pretty easily stepped across to it, but he was much taller. Kaoru knew she would have to leap, just a few inches, to get there.

There would be a second—perhaps not even—of dire uncertainty, the second in which she had taken off but had not quite landed. In that second, she would hang in the air, and the only way to keep herself from splashing down on the murderous rocks and rapids below was to hope that her momentum took her, and faith that Aoshi's outstretched hand would catch her.

Kaoru jumped. As an impulse, she closed her eyes.

Her foot landed on the rock, and she could feel Aoshi's strong arms pulling her in. She opened her eyes to find that she was pressed tightly against the flesh of Aoshi's chest. She was breathing unsteadily from the effort of her leap and tried to slow her heart's hasty pumping.

Aoshi's gaze lingered on her a second longer to make sure she was fine before turning ahead to lead them further across the river. He released her as he stepped down onto a smaller rock, his chosen stepping-stone between Kaoru's current one and a huge rock in front of them. From the small rock Aoshi was on, they could probably climb up the bigger stone, and maybe rest there a moment or two, well above the torrents below.

Kaoru stared after him, aware of a frown darkening his features as he surveyed his position on the small stepping-stone. From his position he tried to scope out an alternate path to take, but there was no other remotely safe way.

He looked back to Kaoru, a strange expression on his face. It seemed almost like regret.

"I'm afraid this rock is rather unstable," he reported, effectively raising his voice above the rushing water sounds.

Now Kaoru frowned as well. "I'll be all right."

Aoshi nodded. He went from the small stone and clambered up the big one, the sapling branch clutched firmly in his hand. Once he was on top, he crouched and held the branch down.

Taking this as a signal, Kaoru slowly stepped down to the small, wobbly rock. She realized how very near the irate river she was. She quickly took note of the jagged rocks that surrounded her, and how they made the water splash up at her in a menacing way.

She breathed in relief when she was successfully standing on it. She counted to three to calm herself and then looked up to Aoshi, who was stretching to lower the tree branch to the correct level.

Kaoru shifted her weight in preparation to grab hold of Aoshi's sapling branch. In a second, Kaoru realized it was wrong. She didn't know what, but somehow her weight distribution had freed the rock she was on, and the end result was that it toppled over, bringing Kaoru down as it submerged into the wild waters.

Kaoru tried desperately to grab hold of anything, but Aoshi was too far above her. When at last she collapsed into the water, she tried at very least to avoid the dangerous razor-sharp rocks that surrounded her.

"Kaoru!" Aoshi cried. In a flash he sprung down off his rock, tossing both his bag and the sapling branch back onto the rock. He rebounded off the side of another larger rock and dove into the water after Kaoru's quickly disappearing form.

She had managed to keep her head above water up until then, but soon the river tossed her up and under its surface.

Aoshi let out a growl of frustration as the river moved Kaoru away from him, as if taunting him. He emitted a cry of rage and sucked in breath before diving under. Immediately the commotion was quiet, but he was panicked nonetheless.

He reached for Kaoru's thrashing form, and his hand closed around her upper-arm. His eyes flashed in thankfulness as he tugged Kaoru forcefully toward him, shielding her from the tumultuous white-water.

He secured his left arm around her waist and kicked up toward the surface of the water, dragging her with him.

They emerged and the sounds of the rapids filled Aoshi's ears once again.

Next to him, Kaoru filled her lungs with air, gasping and sputtering on water that she had half-swallowed in her struggle.

Aoshi grabbed onto a jagged rock that stopped their downstream drift. They were at least two meters away from their path, and Aoshi was desperately searching for a way to get back as he and Kaoru bobbed in the midst of the white-water. With sudden resolve, Aoshi swung around, still holding Kaoru by the waist, and kicked off his rock as hard as he could.

Though they were attempting to go upstream, the force of Aoshi's kick was enough to propel them against the current far enough so Aoshi could grab onto another rock. He did so, and from there he sprang up, using as much force as he could, and they landed on the dry, warm surface of the large rock—their destination in the first place.

Aoshi released Kaoru and sat up as she laid on her back. He gave her space as she coughed and gagged up the water in her lungs. When she had ceased heaving, he dipped down and took her into his arms.

He pressed her form firmly against his, turning his head to kiss her cheek, her temple and the top of her head, all very quickly and in frenzy.

"Kaoru…" he whispered, combing his fingers through her tangled, drenched mess of hair. "Are you all right? Kaoru…" He dropped his hand and wrapped his arm around her, gently pushing the small of her back with his hand.

Surprised at his actions, Kaoru responded by slipping her arms around his middle, pressing her cheek against his bare collar. "I'm all right," she murmured.

It was very strange indeed to see Aoshi worry over her like that. It was by far the most spectacular show of emotion she had ever witnessed, much less by Aoshi. He clutched her closely to him, cradling her as she shivered from the cold.

Kaoru clung to him just as tightly, weaving their bodies together. She was relieved that the two of them had managed to escape the river; something so merciless she had never encountered, and hoped never to again.

Aoshi kissed the top of her head once again as Kaoru shifted her position, as if to release him and herself from their embrace.

"Aoshi…" Kaoru said in a strained tone. "Aoshi, I think…I think my leg is hurt," she rasped, wincing as pain shot up her lower leg.

Aoshi immediately released her and assumed a doctor-like tone as he ran his fingers over Kaoru's left shin. There was a deep and very long gash that ran from her ankle up her calf. It was bleeding profusely, Aoshi noted, his expression becoming more and more concerned. He tried to wipe some of the blood off, but stopped when Kaoru whimpered in pain.

He looked up and realized that they were only a few meters from the opposite bank. With determination, he quickly scooped Kaoru up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Kaoru yelped in surprise, but did not protest as Aoshi leapt from their rock to the next, and the next, barely pausing until he had made it to the shallows and was wading toward land.

He walked quickly through the water, and once they had reached safe, dry land, he knelt down and allowed Kaoru to roll out of his arms.

She lay on her back and Aoshi used his bag to prop her left leg up.

"I think you'll need stitches," Aoshi told her calmly as he cleaned the wound.

Kaoru nodded, shaking from cold and pain.

Without preamble, Aoshi grabbed a dry shirt from his bag and very quickly shredded it into long, thin strips. With these he tied Kaoru's wound together, hopefully stopping the blood-flow until they reached Tokyo.

He knotted the makeshift bandage and sat up. "You should change," he told Kaoru, surveying her water-logged kimono.

"I lost my bag in the river," she replied simply.

"Then help yourself to mine," Aoshi answered casually.

Kaoru hesitated before flipping the bag open and digging through it. She quickly pulled out an off-white happi robe and dark blue hakama pants. She had never, ever seen Aoshi in such clothes, so she wondered why he had them and why he had packed them for Tokyo.

"Can you stand?" Aoshi asked. Without waiting for an answer, he slipped his arm around her waist and supported her as she stood up.

Putting most of her weight on Aoshi, Kaoru hobbled over to a tree, which she grabbed onto for support.

"Turn around," she said to him, but found that he was already facing away. She held the robe up to herself and realized that it went down past her knees.

She shed her wet kimono with some difficulty, and donned the warm, dry robe. She wrapped it tightly around herself and belted it securely in place, so it hung from her like an extremely thin kimono. It was not, by any means, proper attire, but there was little else she could have worn in Aoshi's bag. She stepped into the red hakama pants and hitched them up as far as they would go before fastening it around herself.

She turned back around and found Aoshi pulling on a light blue haori. He turned his head to look at her, barely suppressing a small chuckle that he emitted at seeing her in such oversized clothing.

She glared at him mockingly as he knelt down, his back to her.

"Eh?"

Aoshi gestured with a hand that was cupped behind him. "You obviously can't walk on your own," he replied.

Tentatively, Kaoru hopped on his back and he looped his arms around her legs piggyback style. She situated herself, trying to ignore the blush that stained her cheeks as they set off.

They were silent, for the most part, a few spoken words here and there as they admired the passing scenery. It was very quickly that Kaoru began to recognize the paths they took into Tokyo.

Along the path were the blooming sakura, beautiful in bunches of pink and white. Aoshi made no comment on them, but Kaoru could tell his spirits were lifted by the blossoms, just as her own were.

* * *

A/N: So there you have it. Aoshi has a reason to go to Tokyo.

Someone reviewed this newer version! To everyone who reviewed chapter ten, your reviews will be answered in chapter.

**LinBean: **_Naruku is not a product of the manga…she's a character I made up. I know a lot of people are opposed to Ocs, but I try to balance everything so the other characters get spotlight. Like Kaoru and Misao! You know what I really like? You seem like a devout Kenshin/Kaoru fan, but you are still willing to read an alternate pairing like Aoshi/Kaoru. If you get confused about anything, please ask! I don't want you to be lost! I read your bio today, and found out that you like Jack Johnson! I'm listening to him right now…haha. You take care too!_

Hopefully I will have up to chapter eight by today or tomorrow. I'm working really hard to get this reorganization done. It's actually pretty easy, but I have to basically write the entirety of next chapter. Thanks to everyone who's sticking with me!


	6. Naruku: Fear and the Question

Disclaimer: I was just reading this book, _How To Get Away with Writing in The Rurouni Kenshin Universe for Dummies. _Turns out, all ya gotta do is pretend to be the creator. As such:

Hey, look, I'm Nobuhiro Watsuki!

Now, you may be thinking, "Ma'am, aren't you of the female persuasion?"

No, no, no. I'm Nobuhiro Watsuki!

Well…okay, maybe the title of the book was more like _How to Get Arrested for Dummies. _

A/N: Expect two more chapters up today, so I can finally start working on new stuff. (Some people will still not be able to review, which makes me mad at myself…) 

Except for the beginning, this whole chapter is new stuff. It's like a completely new chapter! Please tell me what you thought of it (if Wonderpup on fanfiction gets mad at you, try to do an anonymous review or at very least e-mail me.) I don't know why, but I'm a little nervous about this chapter.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 6_

_Naruku: Fear and the Question_

_-_

**N**aruku was in a bad mood. No one, not even Misao, had bothered to wake her up when she slept in. So she had to eat her breakfast cold. And she had to make up her morning chores later in the afternoon.

But the real reason that Naruku was in a bad mood was that approximately half of Kaoru's kenjutsu class had showed up that morning after Naruku's cold breakfast.

"Go home! We told you that there isn't any class until Kaoru gets back!" Naruku tried shooing them away.

For the most part, they ignored her. They somehow knew that Kaoru was due to return that day, and didn't seem to keen on leaving until their sensei had arrived.

Yahiko appeared behind Naruku as she began mumbling to herself.

"Hey," Yahiko said after a little while. "Isn't that…?"

Naruku looked up and followed his gaze to the dojo gate. She caught a glimpse of Kaoru, and a few seconds later her raven-haired friend had come into full view.

But Kaoru was not alone. Next to her, supporting her weight was Aoshi.

Naruku brightened at seeing the two of them, and quickly jumped off the porch and ran through the crowd of students to where Kaoru and Aoshi stood.

Yahiko dashed across the courtyard after her and half the students turned to see where Yahiko and Naruku were going.

"Kaoru-chan! Welcome back," Naruku cried, carefully hugging her friend, taking care to avoid Kaoru's injured leg. "Aoshi, what a surprise! You didn't say you were coming. Misao will be happy," she turned back to Kaoru. "She's doing a lot better."

"Kaoru-dono!"

"Aoshi-sama!" Misao and Kenshin hurried over to where the rest of their friends were congregating.

Behind them, Kaoru's students stood, unsure of what to do. Somehow, in their minds, they thought they would be the ones to welcome Kaoru home. Instead they were standing awkwardly on the sidelines while Kaoru chatted amiably with her friends.

"Nice clothes, by the way," Naruku said, eyeing Kaoru's current state of attire.

Kaoru couldn't help but flush red. "Oh—um…yeah. Well, you see, there was this river, and I kind of fell in at one point…so Aoshi said I could borrow his clothes."

Behind Naruku, the entire group of Kaoru's students looked utterly aghast. They knew that Kaoru wore men's clothes all the time, but she had never worn clothes that actually belonged to another man.

Aoshi cleared his throat. "Kamiya begged me to take her to see you before we went to the doctor's clinic," he said.

"Doctor's clinic?" Misao cut in, sounding concerned.

Kaoru laughed shakily. "Yeah, well I cut my leg up pretty bad when I fell into that river. Aoshi had to carry me practically the whole way back to Tokyo."

This time Kaoru noticed the enraged looks on her students' faces. But she mistook it for something else. "I'm sorry, everyone," she addressed them. "I'll have to be getting a lot of help from Yahiko to continue teaching you. Please be patient, and I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, Aoshi scooped Kaoru up bridal-style.

"Can't we stay a little longer?" Kaoru pleaded, looping her arms around Aoshi's neck for insurance.

"Nope," was all the stoic, blue-eyed man would say.

"Bye everyone! We'll be back later!" Kaoru called over Aoshi's shoulder.

"Be careful Kaoru-dono," Kenshin replied.

Naruku cast a worried look at Misao as Aoshi and Kaoru walked away.

To Naruku's surprise, under closer inspection, Misao did not look jealous or hurt at seeing Aoshi and Kaoru together. In fact, there was a faint smile on the young ninja's face.

Smiling herself, Naruku turned around to the disgruntled Kamiya Kasshin students. "All right everyone, you heard the woman, come back tomorrow!"

Some of them sneered at her, but most all of them headed toward the gate anyway.

"Naruku-dono," Kenshin said, nudging her. "Don't you think we should clean up so Kaoru-dono can come back to a clean home?"

"An excellent point," Naruku agreed. "You can help, too, Yahiko."

-

Kenshin was sure that Aoshi's arrival two days ago was not entirely about Misao. He knew it also could have been about seeing Kaoru, but Kenshin knew there was more to it. Aoshi was not a man of impulse, not even when driven by his own desire for something. Or someone.

So what did Aoshi know about what was going on in Tokyo? Was there anything going on?

Kenshin tried not to worry about it as he sat peacefully on the river's bank, Naruku practicing behind him. She made exuberant battle cries and lunged with precision. Kenshin whistled quietly, counting Naruku's footsteps.

Eighty-seven…

Eighty-eight…

He turned and glanced at her. Still going strong, though her breathing was harsh and sweat poured off of her face and neck as she surged forward. He turned back around, stretching his legs in front of him.

Skk-shuu. Ninety-two…

Skk-shuu.

Kenshin tapped out a rhythm on his knees, and an intrigued black dog stuck his head in front of Kenshin. Makkou had still not stopped following Naruku, even though the girl claimed she hated him. Kenshin rather enjoyed Makkou's peaceful company. Dogs were simple and straightforward. Dogs never tricked or betrayed. They got to their point quickly and bluntly. _I want to be fawned over. I want to be fed. Leave me alone while I bask in the sun. I want to chew on this particular sock at this particular time. _The simple candidness reminded Kenshin of Naruku.

Ninety-_eight_.

Ninety-_nine_. Skk-shuu.

One hundred!

Kenshin stood up, much to Makkou's aggravation. "That's enough Naruku-dono," he said lightly. "You can stop that exercise."

"Why?" she asked.

Kenshin glanced at her. "Because. One hundred is enough."

Naruku furrowed her eyebrows. "Kaoru makes Yahiko do thousands of drills. How am I supposed to believe I am learning the Hiten Mitsurugi, revised as it may be, when I do less work than a thirteen-year-old kid?"

Kenshin scratched his head at that. "Well, the Kamiya Kasshin has its way, and I have my way."

"Well I bet Hiko-san made you do a million lunges a day," Naruku retorted, mocking the immaturity she was presenting.

"Ano…you're strong, like Yahiko and I, but you are also a girl…" Kenshin inwardly winced.

As he expected, Naruku stomped over to him until she was two centimeters away from his face. "Look me in the eye and say that _again_ Himura Kenshin!" she raged.

"Do you _want_ to be doing a thousand drills a day?" Kenshin asked weakly.

"Maybe," Naruku replied, backing off a bit. She closed her eyes and raised her chin in an admonishing fashion. "You never asked me." She grinned.

Kenshin sighed. "Well, now I'm asking. How many drills do you think you should do each day?"

"A hundred," Naruku replied, her voice resolute and serious, topping it off with a strong nod.

"Oro…" Kenshin moaned. Things could go in circles for hours with Naruku.

"Now," Naruku went on, flexing her fingers. "When are you going to teach me the Ryukansen?" Her expression was almost too hopeful to crush.

Kenshin smiled and guided her forward with his hand on her back. "Not today," he replied smoothly.

Naruku pouted and turned to rid herself of his arm, but he only laughed and evaded her swipes as they headed back to the dojo.

"Misao-dono is probably done making dinner," he told her.

Naruku looked thoughtful. "You'll teach me tomorrow, then?"

"We'll see."

-

It was after dinner and Sano had just left. Naruku stood in the kitchen with Kenshin, drying the clean dishes that he passed to her. In the other room she could hear Aoshi and Kaoru talking quietly. They sounded very serious.

Naruku smiled in satisfaction as she set down the last dish. Kenshin stood silently next to her for a few more moments, his hands submerged in soapy water. It was nice, just standing and not having to talk. Their silence was comfortable, there only because neither of the two felt like talking.

"Naruku-dono," Kenshin began softly, wiping his hands off.

Naruku turned to him, but before she could reply she caught sight of Aoshi and Kaoru standing in the doorway, looking solemn.

Kaoru had her hands clasped in front of her light-blue kimono, her cerulean eyes looking downcast. "I'm afraid we have some rather, ah, upsetting news," she said lightly. "Naruku."

Aoshi moved forward slightly. "I found out from Hiroji about a week ago," he said. "Akeri-san is no longer living with her sister and husband. She was sent to a psychiatric ward in Hokkaido three and a half weeks ago."

Naruku's eyes seemed to hollow at the words he spoke. It was the last thing she had expected to hear. She hadn't had much contact with her friend and one-time enemy Akeri Hinode, and to learn that she had broken down was quite a shock. It scared Naruku, too, because she and Akeri were so much alike.

Akeri had been working for the crime-lord Nishiwaki in order to protect her little sister, Toki. Naruku had met up with Akeri when the former had been going to Kyoto to fight against Nishiwaki's forces. At the time, Naruku hadn't known of Akeri's involvement with Nishiwaki, but while the rest of the Kenshin-gumi were fighting his forces, Akeri had turned on Naruku. They fought, and due to the Ryusosen attack, Naruku had won, but she did not come out unscathed. During their fight, Akeri had managed to slash Naruku with her dagger, forming a scar that Naruku still carried around, almost six months later.

When the chaos of the fight against Nishiwaki had died down, Akeri returned to Naruku one last time as her friend once again. Akeri told the younger woman of her plans to marry Hiroji and raise her little sister Toki in the right way.

Now Naruku knew that these plans had never pulled through. It scared her that Akeri had been unable to live like she wanted to. Naruku could only guess what made Akeri so disturbed that she had to go live in a psychiatric ward. She was pretty sure it had to do with the way Akeri had lived under Nishiwaki, and how much she loathed him.

And that terrified Naruku, because she harbored the same kind of loathing for a different man. Akeri's demon was Nishiwaki, and he was dead. But Naruku's demon still existed in the living world.

Naruku didn't say anything as her mind raced over everything Akeri had ever said to her. She was confused, very confused, and afraid and sad, too.

From behind the heart-broken girl, Kenshin reached for her arm and held her lightly, his cheek resting on the top of her head in a gesture of comfort. Naruku's stance was stiff and she shook fiercely before breaking down and turning around into Kenshin's embrace. Her forehead rested on his shoulder and her hands were buried in the folds of his gi.

Kenshin patted her back and ran a hand through her dusty red hair soothingly, noticing how he heard no muffled sobs or sniffles. She wasn't crying.

"I feel really awful," she told him, her voice barely comprehensible through the cloth of his gi.

"I know," he responded. "But this is the truth, that it is. You had nothing to do with it. There was no way you could have fixed it."

Kenshin swore she let out a dry chuckle after that. "There's never anything I can do, is there? I'm powerless against everything."

"Not all things," he told her seriously. "You aren't powerless against yourself."

Naruku pulled away and stared up into his eyes, which were searching her face. For Kenshin, it wasn't hard to figure out what Naruku was thinking.

"I'm worried I will end up like her. Why is he doing this to me? Can I just hate him and be done with it?" she asked, not breaking her stare. Her voice became quieter than a whisper. "I hate the power he has over me."

"Naruku," Kenshin spoke. "You are not like Akeri. You have us, your friends."

"And Akeri had her husband and Toki. What's the difference?" she asked.

Kenshin glanced over at Kaoru and Aoshi, who were politely taking their leave.

Kenshin dipped his head down so his mouth was right next to Naruku's ear. He drew in a small breath to speak, but no words came.

Again, Naruku's face was pressed into his gi. She laughed, the sound a little lighter than it had been a few minutes ago. "It's okay to say you don't know, Kenshin. You don't have to know everything. I know you are used to having all the answers. It's all right that you don't, just this once."

"And you know what?" Naruku went on. "I think I'm going to be all right." She gave a slight smile, a natural upturn of her lips, and stepped out of his grasp, whirling down the hall to her room.

-

Kenshin knew that Naruku meant what she said. She believed she would be fine, because she always was.

But it didn't stop Kenshin from pausing by her door later in the evening, peering through the small gap where it remained open. He just had to make sure, because sometimes Naruku didn't know what was going on in her own mind.

Through the crack in the door, Kenshin quickly spotted Naruku who sat in the corner, wrapped up in her own embrace. Her face was buried behind her folded arms, but somehow Kenshin knew she was crying. He reached for the handle of the door and was about to push it open when Naruku moved. Kenshin froze, not wanting to alert her of his presence.

Inside her room, Naruku looked up and wiped her eyes, peering across the room at something Kenshin could not see at his angle. Silently, he shifted his position as Naruku walked to the other side of her room. She kneeled down, staring down at the bare wooden floor. She placed her palm over one of the floorboards and then slammed it down.

Kenshin watched on as Naruku reached down below the floorboard and extracted something that had been hidden there. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.

Naruku sat demurely, staring at a suntestu dagger, which lay perfectly balanced on her palm. Tears had stopped flowing and her expression looked as though she had stopped thinking all together. She only saw the small dagger, an opening to possibilities in her hand.

Kenshin recalled that when Akeri had announced her choice to marry and become a normal wife and sister, she had given up her only means of defense—her suntetsu. She had given it to Naruku, saying that neither of them would need it, but it represented a time in Akeri's life that she didn't want to remember. Naruku had graciously accepted this, and it looked as though she had buried away the dagger, so she could remember Akeri, her friend, and not her enemy. Until now.

Naruku clenched her fist around the dagger, her eyes remaining impassive. She reached out and unsheathed the suntetsu, her eyes following the light that reflected off of the metal surface.

Her movements almost hypnotic, Naruku slowly raised the dagger to her hand and drew a line on her palm with the tip. The movement was light, just enough to feel slight pressure but not enough to break the skin. She moved her palm to see it more clearly in the light, and there was no mark.

She set the blade on her hand again, her eyes never moving.

Kenshin inhaled joltingly and pushed the door to her room all the way open. "Naruku-dono."

The soft sound of his voice made her look up, breaking her spellbinding gaze on the dagger. She stared at Kenshin with hollow eyes and let the suntetsu slip through her fingers. It landed on the floor with a soft thump, but she gave no recognition to the sound. She continued to stare at him, her green eyes round and sad.

Kenshin didn't say anything, but looked back at her silently, wondering what she would have done had he not spoken. He did not like to think of that, so instead he focused on her face, usually so sweet and full of life.

Two teardrops fell from her eyes, and Kenshin saw confusion there, and also fear. Naruku had been wrong before. It wasn't okay that Kenshin didn't have an answer, because she was so desperately in need of one.

* * *

A/N: There it is. The mysterious, upsetting news that Naruku has to deal with. If you are still wondering about Akeri, even after I tried my best to summarize her character in the fic, go checkout _Walking on Mirrors_, especially the chapters11 and 12. (Resigning to Tomorrow and Fields of Innocence.)

I'm actually kind of surprised, thinking back and to now, how many people approve of Naruku. It's just the nature of a lot of people on this site to hate OCs. It makes sense though, I guess they're thinking things like, "well, what right do you have to invade the Rurouni Kenshin world with your own creations?" But, you know, whatever, I know there are plenty of open-minded people out there.

Like my lovely reviewers for instance? (You guys rock my socks and make my pants dance!)

**Smiley: **_Thank you for reviewing and saying you like it. Of course I'll write more! I'll never stop. (heehee)_

**Zioncross: **_I'm sorry for making you waste time looking through the anime for Naruku. But I'm secretly pleased that you think she fits in with the RK cast so well…enough to think she's actually from the anime! I'm going through a bout of speedwriting or something…so you can definitely expect new chapters coming very quickly. Thanks for the heads-up on your fic, by the way! _

I should be back up at my tenth and eleventh chapters some time between next week and the one after that, depending. So for all of you who are having a difficult time sending reviews, I'm sorry! Especially for myself, because I benefit a _lot_ from your comments. And they make me happy.

Oh, and just as a general question, did anyone else get a review from some unnamed person saying nothing other than "you suck?" I actually saw this review quite a lot in other people's fics, and this girl that I beta for talked to me about it…anyone have any idea what it's about? I doubt the unnamed person read the majority of the stories they reviewed, so I guess they were just saying "you suck" for kicks. I forgot about it for a while, but I just saw a new one on someone's fic, so I'm just wondering what the deal is.

Anyway, I shouldn't talk so much about such trivial things, so I think I'm done here. Thank you for reading, and please review!


	7. Sano: Adventures in Shinshuu I

My disclaimer has a first name, it's Idon'townKenshin! My disclaimer has a second name and it's AndIneverwill! Trala!

A/N: I think next chapter will have to wait until tomorrow, mostly because of my hygiene needs at this moment. I'm sure you guys can deal. (ha!) Anyway, Naruku doesn't get two chapters in a row like everyone else (aww…poor precita…) So we're moving right along with Sano.

Liem had told me that my characters seemed apathetic in the Shinshuu part of this chapter…I tried to fix it, but didn't end up doing much of anything, and I think I made it worse! Hopefully the first portion of this chapter will make up for any lack of emotion later on.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 7_

_Sano: Adventures in Shinshuu (Part one)_

_-_

**S**ano stood in the dojo gate, staring distantly off and ignoring the students that brushed past him in their hurry to escape an oncoming storm. He spotted Kenshin in the courtyard, talking to Aoshi, but Sano made no move to get the redhead's attention.

It was a few moments before Aoshi and Kenshin split off and the latter made a beeline for Sano.

"Sanosuke," Kenshin welcomed genially.

"Hey," Sano replied, his heart simply not in the one-word greeting. "I hope Shinomori isn't driving you guys _too_ crazy."

Kenshin remained impassive. "Oh, not at all. Aoshi has been very courteous."

"That's…kind of what I meant," Sano replied, shaking hid head. "How's Naruku doing?" He had since heard of Naruku's emotional plummet after hearing about Akeri.

"Better," Kenshin said, brightening at the subject. "We got out and trained today, and she worked harder than she ever has."

"It's just like the koneko to find something good in that," Sano observed. "Kinda like the weasel, ne?"

"Well I think Naruku was just a little thrown by the news," Kenshin replied.

"I know what you mean. I may not have known Akeri as well as Naruku, but I did know her a little better than everyone else. I really thought she'd be able to start a new life."

Kenshin nodded as though he had been thinking the same.

"Listen, speaking of new lives, I kinda had a fight with Megumi," Sano said uncomfortably. It wasn't his style to discuss romantic problems with Kenshin of all people, but the rurouni _was_ a good listener, and he had good judgment so to Sano it was fair game.

"A fight? About what?" Kenshin wanted to know.

"Well, I kind of half-way asked her to marry me," Sano replied, shrugging.

Kenshin looked pretty surprised. In his mind, he had always seen Sano as the one to back out of commitment like that. But now he was initiating it?

"What did she say?" Kenshin asked, knowing the answer would be in the negative.

"Not anything I was expecting," Sano replied, a sour look crossing his face. To Kenshin, it looked as though he was as mad as he said Megumi was.

_Megumi settled snugly in Sano's arms as she drew the blanket up over herself._ _Her head rested just below his bare collarbone,_ _her silky locks _brushing against his browned skin.

"Megumi," he sighed.

"Mm…" She replied, her chocolate milk eyes flickering open.

"Where are we going?" He questioned, tracing his hands through her ink-colored hair.

Her eyes furrowed in a contemplative expression and she pulled away, propping herself up on her elbows.

"Do you ever think about, you know…marriage? Kids, some day?"

She drew back completely, bunching the blanket over herself. "Sano…what do you mean?"

"You know," Sano rolled over on his side to face her shocked face. "Man and his woman tend to run off to a shrine to be united under god." He brushed a hand over her milky white shoulder lazily.

"But Sano…I mean, us?" She took his calloused hand and set it down away from her; uncomfortable with the feelings he was bringing out in her. "Us getting married?"

Sano sat up completely, the blanket falling into his lap to cover his lower regions. "What do you mean by that? Am I not good enough? Are you not serious about us? Is this just a game, Megumi, or what?" He bellowed.

"No!" She sat up as well, clutched the blanket to herself. "That's not it at all! Don't you turn my words on me, Sanosuke!"

"Well then what exactly _did_ you mean," he snarled.

Megumi sighed and hung her head. "It's just…we're different people, Sano. We have different lives. It's only by chance that our lives were tossed together. And sooner or later we'll be thrown apart again."

A look of distress crossed his face. "Thrown apart…? Megumi, you mean more to me than just some meeting by chance. We won't be separated unless we let that happen!"

Megumi moved forward threateningly. "But it _will_ happen. That's just the way life goes. We can't be together forever Sano!"

Sano was silent for a few moments. Megumi breathed raggedly and put her head in her hands; afraid she was going to cry over this spat.

"Well why not?" Sano spoke quietly. "Why _can't_ we be together forever?" A pang of insecurity struck him at an odd angle. "Who? Who would you rather spend your life with, Megumi?"

Megumi sighed, and held her sobs in. "No one. You. It's only you, Sanosuke. But…I can see it. You want out of here. Staying in one place for this long is killing you. And you deserve to be free. And soon I'm off to Aizu where—"

"Wait. Slow down. Aizu?" He was puzzled. Then it made sense, and he was angry again. "Since when?"

Megumi averted her eyes from his own fiery brown ones. "Three days ago," she mumbled. "They sent word."

Sanosuke looked up incredulously. "God…Kami—when were you planning on telling me, huh? As you stepped onto the train and out of my _life_?"

Megumi seemed to have gotten some of her snap back. "Well I didn't want you to find out like this," she said with a huff.

"Kami…" he said again. He raised his ands and raked them carelessly through his hair, ruffling each bristle with nervous energy. "You've given up hope on us, haven't you? You're just gonna dump me for the next good job that comes around. Because I'm Sano, the _freeloader_. And you just want to get as far away from me as possible," his words were quite, but Megumi could hear the venom in then.

Suddenly she was very angry. Too angry, even, to keep her tears in. Salty droplets raced down her cheeks as she shouted, "You are so self-centered! This has nothing to do with you! You _know_ this has been my dream since I escaped from Kanryuu! What gives you the right to take my dream away, saying it's only an excuse to get away from you! That's not fair, Sano…really not fair…" She wiped her eyes furiously, a few loud sobs escaping her reddened lips.

Sano stepped into his pants and threw on his threadbare coat. Somehow his clothes felt colder than his nakedness had. He shot a last forlorn look at Megumi's hunched over figure, tracing the pattern her hair made as it hid her face. He couldn't see her tears. He wanted to so much to kneel down and press her against him and murmur words into her hair. To breathe in her scent and tell her it was all right. That they would work it out.

Instead he turned his back and walked out, like the coward he was.

Megumi peeled back strands of her hair, tucking them behind an ear. They fell over her face again as she heard the door shut. Sano was gone, leaving Megumi cold, naked and very much alone.

_Kenshin was silent for a moment or two after Sano finished. The younger man shifted uncomfortably, as though anticipating some sort of_ berating. But Kenshin was silent. When he did speak, he chose his words carefully.

"I think that Megumi does take you seriously," he said slowly. "And you need to go talk to her."

At seeing Sano's incredulous expression, Kenshin added, "Not necessarily to apologize, but you definitely need to talk. When did this fight happen?"

Sano thought. "It was last night."

Kenshin nodded. "That would be plenty of time for her to cool down some. Go see her after work hours are over," he advised.

"What, should I buy her flowers or something?" Sano asked, nonplussed.

Kenshin shook his head, hesitating slightly. "I guess if you wanted. I think you need to talk calmly."

Sano nodded, though in his mind he wasn't sure if that was so possible between Megumi and himself. They were two fairly impulsive people, especially Sano.

Still, he trusted Kenshin in all matters, so he saw no reason not to trust him on this one.

"Thanks for your help, buddy," Sano said cheerfully, pulling Kenshin into a headlock-type hug.

"Sure, Sano," Kenshin answered, ducking out of his grip. "Anytime."

-

It was the first time since their initial fight that Megumi had come seeking Sano, instead of the other way around. The day before, Sano had followed Kenshin's advice and came knocking on Megumi's door, only to find that she was out on a house call. At the time, Sano thought she was just avoiding him. But then there she was, looking for him, to talk to him.

The most surprising thing was that Megumi came right into the long house, a place she mostly liked to avoid going, without so much as asking for permission.

"Sano," she said, striding right up to him. "Sano, I want you to wish me good luck before I leave."

Sano jumped. "What? When are you leaving?" he asked, panicked.

"Not any time soon," Megumi clarified. "It will take a month at least before I can clear out of Tokyo. I figured it would take a while to get you to understand, so…"

"Megumi, I'm not stupid. I know you want this, to go back to Aizu and become a real doctor. I know that in Aizu you can help more people than you can here by far. I know in Aizu you can complete all your studies," Sano slowed down a bit. "But I can't help but be selfish when it comes to you."

That was simultaneously the sweetest thing he had ever said to her and the most irritating.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to wish you good luck and really mean it. I know there will always be a part of me that wishes you'd do badly in Aizu and come back to me," his face softened in a guilty expression as he reached out to stroke her hair.

"Sano…" Megumi trailed off. "You don't have to wait for me," she said softly, pushing against his chest.

Sano caught both her hands in his. He leaned down and whispered, "Yes I do. I need you, Megumi."

They stared at each other for a moment before Sano broke eye contact, backing away from her.

"I mean, we all do, don't we?" he cleared his throat. "Look at what's happened to Misao. And who else is going to tease Kaoru about Shinomori? What about Naruku? And you know that Kenshin will always need your medical expertise…"

"I think you only _think_ you need me. I'm really something you just want," Megumi replied, catching his real meaning, which had nothing to do with their other friends.

"No Megumi. I need you."

"You're going to want to leave, too, one day," Megumi supplied herself with more words.

"I know I will," he replied. "Tomorrow."

"What?" Megumi scrunched her pretty features in confusion.

"Yeah," Sano swallowed. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"_L-leaving?_" she nearly shrieked. "Sano! But, why?"

"It's for you. Well, it is for me, I suppose. I need to be away…for a few days. I feel like I might be giving up something, for you. Like I'm giving up my freedom. After that I'll be able to see why you need to give me up for your own freedom. I don't know. It doesn't make much sense, does it?" he offered a crooked, self-depreciating smile.

Megumi gave an honest reply. She wrapped her arms around him and laid her head on his chest. "I'll miss you."

Sano placed a kiss on top of her head. "Are we all right, then?"

Megumi pressed herself closer, wanting to melt into him before they were torn apart. "I love you."

Sano moved away, and the next second Megumi found herself engaged in an all-encompassing kiss, which ended as quickly as it had begun.

"I love you, too. Good-bye," he stepped back and watched her go, knowing he would be the one doing that the next day. But he also knew that he would leave before he saw her again. He wanted to remember Megumi as she was then, still breathless from their kiss, her inky locks rippling across her back as they parted ways.

-

It was basically a hole in the wall. After all the time he spent contemplating where he could go in the tiny town, he had ended up in the worst possible place.

The men there were all too drunk and feeling too sorry for themselves to even start up a decent brawl. It was the kind of bar that seemed damp and dark even if it was sunny outside. The sake tasted flat and boring, and everyone around him were various shades of purple and gray—pasty skinned and dull.

It was the type of bar that didn't really have a name. Just and old building that happened to have alcohol. It didn't really need a name, it was probably the only bar in the whole godforsaken town.

It was the type of bar that made Sano wish he had never left Tokyo. What had he been thinking? He had needed to "get away" for a few days—who wouldn't, with all that went on? But what had led him back here, back to his hometown? Back to Shinshuu.

Being in the place where he grew up only made Sano more depressed. Had he really lived here as a child, amongst all these boring, washed-out losers? No wonder he had left before his tenth birthday.

But instead of getting out of the bar and sprinting away from Shinshuu, Sano sat and continued drinking. There were no sounds except drunk groans and clinking bottles of sake.

He definitely missed Tokyo. He felt incurably dismayed, and would have liked to say it was just the dreary bar that had that effect on everyone who entered…He sighed. Was it stupid to run out on everyone and disappear to Shinshuu?

"Are you just going to sit around and feel sorry for yourself? Get off your ass!" A voice shouted, just left of Sano's ear.

Sano whipped around, along with a dozen other men.

"Jou-chan…?" Sano said without thinking. The reproachful yell sounded so much like the kenjutsu instructor.

He turned and realized his mistake. Whoever was yelling was _not_ scolding him, but instead an older man, who had the most depressed face on out of anyone in the run-down shack.

"It's hard enough making ends meet without you wallowing around all day!" The girl who sounded like Kaoru continued to yell.

Sano's vision focused in on the yelling girl and the man at whom her scolding was aimed at. Sano was sure his heart skipped a beat or two at seeing their faces.

He set his current cup of sake down and turned so he was facing the source of the only noise in the bar. He smirked and got to his feet, striding over toward the yelling girl.

"Guess I could stay here a little longer after all," Sano mused as he plopped down beside the older man, who bore a striking resemblance to him.

"Who asked you?" the girl screeched, whirling on him. "What're you even talking about, you bum?"

Sano scowled. "Who're you calling a bum, half-head?"

She looked alarmed. "Half…?" She pushed her bangs around, realizing that the nature of his insult was because her bangs covered exactly half of her forehead.

A giggle from behind the girl brought Sano's attention to a small boy who he had previously overlooked.

"Don't encourage him, Outa!" the half-head ordered shrilly to the boy who was presumably her little brother. She spun angrily on Sano. "My name isn't 'half-head' you loser! I'm Uki."

She looked at him with a stubborn face. He stared back, his expression blank.

"Stop that!" she demanded hotly. "C'mon, Outa, this is no place for a kid like you. We gotta get home, even if our low-life father isn't gonna come along."

Said low-life looked up at Uki fleetingly before turning his gaze on Sanosuke.

"Who the hell are you?" he grunted.

Sano looked surprised, but then reverted to his usual smirk. "Just a freeloader out to kill some time." He leaned back casually.

Uki, who was halfway to the door, turned back around to look at the two of them. She gasped loudly, and Sano wondered if she recognized him.

"You got him to talk!" Uki cried, rushing back over to Sanosuke, who had a bead of sweat slide down his head in exasperation.

Instead of answering the girl, Sano stared down at Outa's round face. He turned toward the table and picked up a nearly empty sake cup. "Here kid," he handed it to the little brother, Outa.

Uki gasped once again. She smacked the cup from Sano's outstretched hand. "Don't give him that, you sicko! He's only eight years old!"

"It wouldn't have hurt him…" Sano said to himself. He looked back at the father when he made a movement toward Sano.

"Out to kill time, eh?" the older man said, smirking. "How 'bout a fight, then? One-on-one."

"With you, old man?" Sano shot back, a similar smirk reaching his lips. "Doesn't sound too exciting, but it doesn't look like I'll be getting too many more offers around here. Plus, I'm bored. So why not?"

"Absolutely not!" Uki cut in. "You can't fight him, are you crazy?"

"Stay out of this," her father said.

"Dad, you've got a bad leg. You expect to beat this guy? No way. I won't allow it. If you've got energy to spare getting in bar fights, you've got energy to spare working at home. C'mon, we're going."

She hooked her finger around the back of her dad's collar and dragged him away.

Sano looked after them, stunned. He shook it off. "Sounds like they've got a rough time at home. Wonder what's been going on around here since I left twelve years ago."

Four new men entered the bar, looking very different from the rest of the men there. They were talking loudly as they pushed past the door and circled around a table.

Sano raised an eyebrow. "Hm…they look like they may know a thing or two…"

Before he could make his way toward them, his sleeve was caught by one of the local drunks. "You aren't gonna go make a scene with Fudozawa, are ya newcomer?"

Sano wrenched away from the drunkard's grip. "We'll see."

"You don't wanna go getting that crowd riled up. Fudozawa's got that special

move—the demon killer. Don't want to get in a fight with that one, you don't," the drunk continued.

"Maybe _you_ don't, old man," Sano replied grudgingly. He looked over the top of the man's head at where 'Fudozawa' and the rest of the men were conversing. "Sagara Sanosuke, however, will be much obliged."

Sano hadn't been in a fight, much less a decent or challenging one, in months. He was definitely ready for any demon-killer that the world might throw at him.

Deciding against an introduction, Sano walked purposefully up to Fudozawa's table and noticed how all talk ceased immediately. Sano didn't particularly care. He frowned. "So, which one of you is Fudozawa?" he turned to look at the group of men. His gaze fell on the man in the center with a highly exaggerated window's peak hairdo. "It is you, M-baldy?"

The two men, one short one huge, that flanked the accused M-baldy stood up in aggravation. "Do you know who you're talking to, punk? That's Fudozawa, leader of the silk escapades here! Show some respect, he's got a rich patron backing him and he'll kill ya dead if you piss him off!"

"What are you two, cheerleaders?" Sano wondered.

The two looked at each other and back at Sano. The smaller one jumped back as if just seeing him. "Holy—it's Zanza!"

Sano quirked an eyebrow. "Sheesh, two years after I quit that gig. Am I really that well-known?"

Fudozawa's bodyguards looked at each other again. "You don't remember us?"

"No," Sano said flatly. "Who the hell are you?"

"Kihei and Gohei!" They announced. "The Hiruma brothers!"

When Sano remained silent, Fudozawa let out a barking laugh.

"We hired you to fight Battousai!" Kihei exclaimed.

Sano scowled. "Oh yeah. Well, what do I care, that was a lifetime ago!" he turned and stuck a finger in Fudozawa's face. "So, M-baldy, wanna fight me?"

Fudozawa, who was even bigger than Gohei in stature, looked over at Sano's slim build. "You look like a damned wimp."

"Heh," Sano took no offense. "I promise you, I'm not. So how 'bout it?"

There was a pause as Fudozawa seemed to be contemplating it. Gohei and Kihei looked around in confusion. "Nah. I got better things I ought to be doing. Like managing the way station and silk trade." He turned his back on Sano and beckoned for Gohei and Kihei to follow him out.

Angered and disappointed with his opponent's reply, Sano stomped after him, grabbing Kihei and tossing him to the side. Gohei turned around and Sano charged at him, too, bashing his face in pretty effectively.

Fudozawa turned around, slightly irked, but Sano knew he had his attention. He had just taken out Fudozawa's trusted bodyguards.

"What d'you say now, M-baldy?" Sano growled in Fudozawa's face. Taking out those two thugs had certainly not quenched his thirst for a good fight. He could only hope that Fudozawa was the least bit tougher.

Fudozawa leaned so his face was very close to Sano's. "Listen, punk," he growled. "I'd be careful who I mess with. This town is under the control of _me_. I've got the silk exports, and I've got the way station. Don't piss me off."

Not the least bit intimidated, Sano growled out his reply. "Are you really saying, 'don't piss off my rich patron?' He's the one with the money, so I guess it's really _his_ way station, huh?"

Sano really hated the way guys like Fudozawa tried to act tough in their little power play. Sano knew that the people with the real power were the ones who wouldn't meet you face to face. They were the ones that lurked in the shadows, pockets full of yen, until you had become a real threat. Then they'd strike and take you out. Just like Shishio had tried to. And Kanryuu Takeda. Sometimes they were cowards, and sometimes they just thought they were too good for a fight.

"Shut up, punk," Fudozawa shot back. "You don't even know what you're talking about. I thought I might've liked you, kid, but you're too much of a brat."

Sano leaned back. "Hey, I'm just looking for what everyone else wants. A good fight. Since you're not gonna give it to me, I might as well look elsewhere. Maybe if I find who's really in charge here, they can point me in the right direction." Sano really didn't like this silk escapade thing. If the way station was taken over, how where diakon farmers like his family going to get the money they needed? It looked like more selfish, corrupt businessmen to Sano.

"Don't talk about what you don't know, brat!" Fudozawa shot back for a second time.

_He's got a real weakness for this moneymaker who's backing him. What is he, afraid? Wonder who this guy could be, though…_

"Feh, I'm tired of your face, M-baldy," Sano said, stepping back. "Makes me want to smash it in. But I'll let you alone for now."

He turned away and walked out of the bar, frustrated that he hadn't gotten to fight either of the two men he'd wanted to. "Well, I don't see the reason to waste away in a hell-hole bar," Sano thought to himself, walking out of the smoky bar and into the dimming sunlight outside. The brightness of the outside nearly blinded Sano, and while he tried to get adjusted her ended up walking into someone.

"'Scuze me," he muttered, and was surprised when the person seized his jacket and turned him back around.

"Hey kid."

It was the lowlife from the bar, the one that supposedly had left with his daughter and son.

Sano eyed him unsurely.

"You said all that stuff to Fudozawa…man, I coulda told you it'd be useless. That man doesn't know anything," the man spoke to him like they were old time pals. "And as hard-headed as you are, I like you, kid."

Sano wasn't sure whether to feel proud or not. So he just snapped the toothpick he'd been chewing on in half.

"There aren't many who'd stand up to a big guy like Fudozawa… 'specially no skinny wimps like you. Why don't you come on over for dinner, all right?"

Sano was surprised to say the least, but there was a hint of something in the man's eyes that made him accept.

"I'm Higashidani, that's all you need to know," the man said as the two of them set off.

It was all Sano _did_ need to know. It confirmed his belief that in his hometown, he had run into his biological family.

-

Sano sat around the Higashidani residents, reminiscing about what little childhood he could remember. One moment popped into mind. It was when he had first told his little sister that he was running away to join Sagara's army. She had cried more than Sano had ever seen anyone cry.

Sano scanned the small, three-room house and his eyes landed on Uki, who was bustling around in the kitchen. Sano held his gaze on her, not thinking about much of anything.

"Hey you bum, what're you looking at?" she demanded very suddenly. "I don't even see why you're here."

Sano shrugged, not sure himself. "Free meal."

She shot him a nasty look from the kitchen. "Keep an eye on the rice, Outa!" Uki called as she stepped out to the dinning room, arms full of plates.

"You're too soft on that kid," Sano told her, echoing his thoughts earlier.

"No one asked you! I'll raise my brother however I want to," she shot back. It was meant as playful banter, but it made Sano feel worse than he ever thought he could.

"Must be hard here, with Fudozawa taking over everything," he muttered.

Uki suddenly stopped. She set down her stack of plates on the table, hunched forward and unmoving. "We fought him for so long…and it never made a difference. After dad hurt his leg, there was nothing else we could do. Fudozawa had destroyed our daikon crops. No one helped us in our fight, but they started leaving us food and firewood in exchange for anything we could make. Straw hats, clothing…anything. Fudozawa wouldn't let them pay us for our products."

Sano looked confused. "What do you mean? Fudozawa's in the silk business, what's he doing messing with daikon farmers like dad?"

She spun around and glared at him. "What do you even know?" She turned back to the table, attempting to leave it at that. But two seconds passed and she turned around again, this time her expression was incredulous. "Did you…just…?"

Her father walked in, with the help of a cane, ruffling Outa's hair as he passed. "So, what've we got?" he looked around, his face falling slightly. "Just rice…again?"

"Actually, fish," Sano said, recalling Uki's excitement from earlier at having a meal with protein,

"Oh!" Uki said, surprised. She handed the clean dishes to Outa. "You finish setting, I'll go cook the fish." She trotted over to the kitchen.

Sano sat himself down, next to where his father was leaning.

Across from them, Outa hurried to set a bowl of steamed rice in front of the mortuary tablet.

His father motioned toward it, glancing at Sano. "My wife. Died two years after Outa was born."

Sano leaned forward, interested. "Really? I thought she had run out on you."

He laughed. "Yeah right, she was always crazy about me."

Both of their gazes returned to the tablet again as they fell silent.

"So," his father began. "You're really Sanosuke, then?"

"Yup," Sano returned. "And that makes you my sorry excuse for a father, right?"

Higashidani let out a barking laugh. "Getting sorrier every day."

Uki soon joined them at her mother's alter and wordlessly they all tapped the bell and gave a moment in prayer amongst the burning incense.

Uki opened her eyes and looked at Sano in surprise as they stood up to re-congregate at the dinner table.

After their meal, the men went outside to enjoy the last of the sunset while Uki cleared off the table and cleaned the dishes. Outa came outside as well, running around joyfully. Around the back of the house, he spotted a dog rummaging through the trash.

Outa's eyes became very big at seeing the dog, and even Higashidani peered around the bend.

Sano laughed. "You guys never seen a dog before or something?"

Higashidani didn't answer, so Sano followed his gaze to where Outa had literally jumped on the dog's back and the two of them were gamboling around. Sano raised an eyebrow when he realized that the dog was none other than Makkou! Naruku's annoying mutt had followed him to Shinshuu, he recalled, but he thought he'd lost track of him when he entered that bar in the afternoon, but apparently Makkou had followed him once again. It was too bad…Sano had been holding out hope that the dog had gone stupid and drowned himself.

"What's the deal with the dog?" he asked Higashidani with renewed curiosity. Outa looked surprisingly familiar with Makkou.

"He's ours," he replied gruffly.

Sano's jaw dropped. "No way! But the koneko found him on the way to Kyoto…"

"We found him as a runt puppy," Higashidani supplied.

Sano looked back at the dog in disbelief.

"Anyway, last year Outa ran off. Uki and me were scared as hell for him, but we hoped Ichiro—that's the dog's name—would take care of him. Well, Outa returned safely, and with some cash to boot, but he said Ichiro got swept up in the river. Ha! Never thought I'd see that mangy mutt again."

Sano grinned. Outa seemed tougher than he would've thought. "How funny that I ended up with your dog." And at that he let out a great guffaw. Higashidani joined him and they were rolling with laughter. It was almost like that time Sano had ended up in Shimosuwa on the way to Kyoto…

"Hey, you gotta tell me what's going on with that Fudozawa character," Sano said in a low voice once their laughter subsided. "Who's this sponsor that he's so touchy about? What do they want with the way station here?"

"I honestly don't know who the guy is. He's damned rich, though," Higashidani said with the usual amount of reluctance.

"You mean he's never come here to visit the product of his conquest?" Sano wondered. Surely he would want to rub it in everyone's faces.

"Nah. Tani used to," Higashidani added, keeping his eyes trained on Outa and Makkou, or 'Ichiro.'

"Tani?" Sano asked. More than ever he wanted to get to the bottom of this. He faintly remembered Tani—he was the ex-Ishinshishi that Jinei had once targeted. Sano and Kenshin were hired to protect pork bun Tani.

"Yeah. He used to subsidize Fudozawa's silk franchise, but he got killed a couple years ago," Higashidani went on.

Sano's eyes widened. "Wow. So who's coughing up the money now?"

"Guy who killed him, that's my guess."

Sano was surprised at how easily his dad said that. "No way!"

Behind them, Uki stuck her head out of the house to call them all inside, but it was only Outa who responded accordingly.

"Well no one can prove he did it," Higashidani said in reply to Sano's exclamation. "No one wants to, either. This guy has gotten to be pretty powerful underground. After his rich older brother went to jail, he took over those finances and also an arms smuggling ring…no one wants to mess with him."

"Not even Fudozawa, then," Sano said thoughtfully. "Wait a second, if he's got all that what's he doing going after a semi-rich government official?"

"I don't reckon he did it for the money," Higashidani supplied. "Some people are saying he just hated to see an ex-Ishinshishi so well off. I guess the silk exports and Fudozawa's franchise were just an extra gain for the assassination. Makes sense, I guess. There are plenty of people who hate the current government."

"This guy sounds pretty dangerous," Sano said, his eyes gleaming slightly in the moonlight.

"Guess so. I could give you a name if you're so interested," Higashidani offered.

"I thought you said you didn't know who he was?" Sano replied.

Higashidani shrugged as he awkwardly got to his feet. "I don't. I just know his name, nothing else. Take it or leave it, I'm going inside."

Sano looked up. "I'll take it."

"In that case, the patron for Fudozawa's silk is Takeda Enizu," Higashidani told him gruffly. With his cane, he started inside. "You're welcome to stay the night."

Sano stared numbly ahead of him as his father turned to go inside. Behind him, the front door shut and Sano blinked.

He knelt down and picked up a large stone. Angrily, he chucked it deep into the darkness. "Damnit!"

He crossed his legs and slammed his fist down furiously. "All this way to run into that bastard again. Gotta get back to Tokyo and tell Kenshin." He exhaled deeply and then a smirked crossed his face. "Maybe I ought to kick up some dust here before I leave."

He could not simply let Fudozawa go on terrorizing his hometown. _Especially_ if he was working with the likes of Enizu.

* * *

A/N: Looong chapter…That's because I basically had to combine two full-length chapters. Oh well. _Please_ tell me if anything seems off (and it helps if you are specific.) I am very willing to go back and edit. 

If you haven't guessed by now, the beginning of chapter one takes place right before the part in this chapter when Sano is in Shinshuu, in that bar.

Also if you haven't guessed, which you should have, he is with his Dad, sister and brother, all of which he hasn't seen since he was nine. (Actually, he's never met Outa before, I guess.) They, however, don't know that he's their brother, but Higashidani does know that he's Sanosuke.

**Anonymous Freak: **_Hey! I'm glad you've been reading and enjoying my fic. It always makes me so happy to know that...Also, I think it rocks that you like all pairings. It's definately good to keep an open mind, but don't be afraid to make your own opinions about things._

Now, for reviews that were sent before I reposted. These are the people who have been really sticking with me, and I love them for it.

**Hitoezakura: **_Thank you, I'm so glad that you're so enthusiastic. We'll get back to Aoshi and Kaoru soon enough, but the next few chapters are gonna focus on more plot points. After that, well, you'll see!_

**Wandering Aimlessly: **_Hey, it's been a while, ne? Love the new penname. Yup! Enizu's comin' back with a vengence. Gotta hate him. _

**Zioncross: **_Thanks, I like being thought of as having a style that's unique…Makes me feel good. Sano's part is something that I planned from the beginning, but was never really sure exactly why…_

**Crewel: **_Next chapter, I promise, will have a nice reunion scene with Sano and Megumi. I've often felt like devoting a fic just to that pairing, but I'm much too crazy to have a fic that's centered on one thing only, unless it's a one-shot. I love having a billion plotlines!_

**Liem: **_I see where you're coming from…I realized that it was kind of a stupid move to try and smush all of Sano's encounters in Shinshuu into only two chapters…and that is one of the few things that I am still not fixing with this repost! Oi…Well if Uki knew that Sano was _the _Sano, she would be plenty surprised. In fact, she doesn't even know his name right now, so she hardly remembers him as her older brother when she was six. I don't really know what you meant with the apathy thing, so I didn't know how to fix it! I've been worrying about it, I think I made it worse…anyway, I figured it would be fun to drop some hints about Enizu before coming out and saying his name, just because there's so much suspense there already, That was the very first time his name has been mentioned in this fic, you'll notice. _

Whew…I'm getting pretty tired. I love your support, everyone, and thank you so much for bearing with me while I had to repost this… I know it was a bit annoying, but my brain is working _so _much better with this fic, I think it was worth it. Stay tuned for next chapter!


	8. Sano: Adventures in Shinshuu II

Disclaimer: All characters, settings, plotlines, pieces of dialogue _et_ _cetera_ that are from the original Rurouni Kenshin manga/anime are property of Watsuke, Shonen Jump comics and associates. I mean not to infringe on such copyright. I'm only here to give my two cents. (I'm hoping that will be enough to buy the rights to the Kyoto Arc!)

A/N: Okay, so I said this chapter will be up by Tuesday (or was it Monday?) and here it is, Sunday already! My deepest apologies, everyone. I do admit, I don't have a great excuse for not updating...I guess between Open House at school and a history project due in three weeks...well, you know.

Also this week I finally got Naruku's site up. Please check it out if you have the chance. (There's a link to it in my bio.)

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 8_

_Sano: Adventures in Shinshuu (Part two)_

-

**B**y the time the sun was high in the afternoon sky, Sano and his family, unknown to that fact as they were, were headed into town. Earlier, Sano had offered to buy lunch for them at what he teasingly called "the local restaurant." It was a surprisingly decent thing for him to do, so Uki agreed.

As they ate, however, Sano's attention was more focused on who sat a few tables away. Fudozawa. Growling under his breath, Sano wondered why he had to show up just _everywhere_ Sano was.

"C'mon Outa, finish your vegetables," Uki said behind Sano. Next to him, Higashidani seemed to be staring off at Fudozawa as well. Sano threw a glance his way and wondered what Higashidani would give to be able to throw some punches at Fudozawa.

Being the honorable and compassionate son that he was, Sano decided to do it himself. Without a word to anyone, he stood up and strode toward Fudozawa's table, where he was laughing and talking in a loud voice, acting like he owned the place.

Just seeing him made Sano's fists clench uncomfortably. Yesterday he had just wanted a good fight. Today, it was different. Today Sano knew that Fudozawa was the reason his family was living in meager circumstances. Today he knew that Fudozawa was a conceited, self-serving bastard, and everything else on the list Sano had compiled.

"Hey!" Sano barked, slamming his fist down on Fudozawa's table. It seemed as though the whole restaurant had gone quiet.

Fudozawa did not look impressed with Sano's furious actions. Gohei and Kihei, who were sporting swollen lips, black eyes and bruises, respectively, looked positively petrified. Fudozawa raised an eyebrow at Sano's unwelcome intrusion.

"Street fighter," he addressed Sano, who glared in return. "You watch your step, or you're not gonna live to an old age, kid." He said this with a wicked grin.

Sano frowned. "Don't talk to me like you're some cop, M-baldy."

The two of them glared and snarled at each other, their gazes transfixed.

Behind Sano, Uki had a determined look on her face. She sat up from the table, wiped her mouth and strode toward Sano and Fudozawa. Outa trailed behind her, a similar expression darkening his round features. Higashidani sat behind them, his face contorted into a perturbed frown.

"Hey!" Uki called out to the two glaring men. She reached Sano's side. "Don't get into a—"

Before she could finish her thought, Fudozawa raised his hand and smacked her hard across the face, his eyes never leaving Sano.

Uki gasped and clutched the wound, which was sure to bruise. Everyone was completely silent.

Sano was seething. In a low, menacing voice he said, "I was just gonna throw a few punches, but now I'm _really_ gonna mess you up, asshole. I hate people who prey on innocent people! Didn't your parents ever tell you never to hit a girl, you—"

Fudozawa leaned forward into Sano's face. "Oh yeah? What're you gonna do, punk?"

Sano didn't answer, but instead grabbed Fudozawa by the front of his collar and punched him hard in the face.

Fudozawa seemed to be in shock as blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. He blinked, wiped the blood away and then grinned. "Why don't we take this outside, street fighter?"

"Heh," Sano replied. "Fine with me."

They stalked out the door, Gohei and Kihei following behind Fudozawa, while Uki and Outa followed behind Sano.

Outside there was already a circle of onlookers forming. People from the restaurant as well as regular people walking in the streets stopped what they were doing to form a circle outside.

Fudozawa smirked, but Sano's face remained impassive. They entered the circle, each on one end. Stripped to the waist, Fudozawa smacked his fist into his open palm, making a thunderous noise.

Sano was not intimidated. He too discarded his coat, but instead of trying to menace Fudozawa, he simply stood there.

Fudozawa roared and slammed his open hand into the ground. Where he had struck there was now a deeply inset handprint. The crowd murmured in anticipation.

"That's his special technique," one person whispered excitedly, and rather loudly.

Sano sent a glare in the direction of the person who said this. He realized there was a group of ugly-looking men all guffawing. They must have been part of Fudozawa's yakuza. That changed things a little.

"Let's see this technique then," Sano said loudly to Fudozawa. "C'mon."

Fudozawa charged forward, his mighty arm raised. He landed his blow square in Sanosuke's face. But Sano didn't even flinch.

"Is that it?" he asked.

The crowd, which had hushed at Sano's first invitation, went up in frenzy. "What _is_ he?" Seemed to be the general consensus.

Fudozawa was speechless. Sano took that opportunity to show him some of his own technique. He slammed his fist into Fudozawa's side. The recipient of Sano's attack stumbled backward, coughing spastically.

"I'll show you, punk," Fudozawa managed to get out. He charged again, but this time Sano was not satisfied to take the attack. He got their sooner and sent a blow to Fudozawa's burly chest.

That did it. Fudozawa fell to the ground, a deep bruise forming where Sano had struck him. Even though he was unconscious, Sano was surprised how well he had taken the Futaenokiwami.

From the crowd, Fudozawa's rank of yakuza moved forward. "You knocked him out, but do you really think you can take on fifty of us?"

Sano smirked, getting into an offensive position.

Before the yakuza could strike, Uki rushed forward. "Stop it!" she cried.

Amazingly, they did. Sano stood normally. "What is it, kid?" he asked. He was surprised to see her bruise from Fudozawa's slap had already been patched up. Not only that, but salty tears were running from her brown eyes.

"Don't you think you've caused enough trouble around here?" she said fiercely. Shocked, Sano realized she was talking to him, not the yakuza who were ready to strike. "It's about time you leave."

"Uki…" Sano trailed off, his eyes becoming downcast. "I didn't know. I just wanted to—"

Uki glared. "And don't you think it's a little weird that you've been living at my house and I don't even know your name?"

Sano recalled the story of how Kenshin and Kaoru met. It struck him as odd how closely his current situation was.

He bit back a laugh and instead looked down at Uki. "It's Sanosuke."

Her eyes widened and her crying ceased. "S-sano?" she blinked her tears away, staring at him with an expression that made it look like she had seen something otherworldly. "Is it really…?"

He didn't answer. Instead he turned to Outa and promptly kicked him.

Uki's shocked expression changed to fury. "Just what was that for?"

"Your sister's getting roughed up and you don't do anything?" Sano asked Outa. "You need to learn what's right, kid."

Outa didn't answer, but neither did he cry. Uki came behind him and set her hands on his shoulders protectively. "Outa's just a little kid!"

"Well he's never gonna grow up if you don't stop coddling him."

"Shut-up!" Uki cried. "Even if you _are_ our brother, you have no idea what we've gone through."

"Oh yeah?" Sano retorted. "Well I haven't had an easy time, either. But at least I know that you stand up for people, and when things are bad you don't just let it be."

"You don't know _anything_," Uki sobbed, her tears starting up again. Her voice quieted. "Besides…Outa takes care of me…" she touched the bandage on her wounded cheek.

Sano inhaled, staring at his sister in awe. He then turned to Outa, who faltered under his gaze.

"Fine," Sano said softly. "Fine. If you won't let me fix things _here_…" he turned back to Uki, his eyes shining and honest. "Let me take Outa back to Tokyo with me."

Everyone quieted. Even the leading yakuza men, who had been planning an ambush on Sano and were slowly creeping forward, had frozen.

Uki stood facing Sano, her mouth in a thin line and her eyes stony and blank. Outa looked curiously from Sano to Uki. They seemed to be silently battling. He took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Onee-chan," he said. Uki snapped her head toward him. "I—I would like to…to go to Tokyo." He looked down, afraid of what he would see on his sister's face.

A sound from the doorway of the restaurant turned all heads toward Higashidani.

With the help of his cane, Higashidani hobbled from the restaurant over to where his three kids stood. In one fluid motion, he smacked them all in the head. "Why are all my kids such idiots?"

From there rose a cacophony of protests and retorts.

Higashidani chuckled as his three kids quieted down. He gathered them all in his arms, drawing them into a painfully squashed group hug. "Oh, what a wonderful day this is!" he sang hysterically. "What a family reunion!" He seemed to be the only one celebrating.

Sano easily dislodged himself from Higashidani's grip, and after that Higashidani calmed down. Uki and Outa broke away, rubbing sore arms. Sano could see tears glistening in Uki's eyes.

"Dad…" she whispered to Higashidani. "He wants to take…" she couldn't finish and instead burst into fresh tears.

"I know," Higashidani returned. "But Outa will have a better chance in Tokyo."

"With him?" Uki questioned, sounded slightly bitter.

"He's your brother," Higashidani replied softly. "And that means he's Outa's brother, too."

Sano glared around at the crowd of people, who were gradually breaking off and going back to daily life. Even the yakuza seemed to have given up, and were now setting up a transportation for Fudozawa's unconscious body.

It was really a shame, too. Sano would've liked the good fight he had come for. It would have to wait. _Sano_ would have to wait to get out his anger about Enizu. He turned back to Uki and his dad.

"Well?" he asked. "I know of a dojo that would take him in. He could learn kendo, and be strong."

Uki looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. Higashidani gazed at him, his face tired and worn. Neither of them said anything.

Sano sighed angrily, turning away. "Fine. I guess I'm not good enough to take care of my own brother, eh?" It was one thing that was actually important to him. Soon after learning that he had a little brother, Sano wanted to make sure that Outa was raised to be strong, to be the kind of person that Sano would be proud to walk beside.

Higashidani always said, _'A man grows up looking at the back of the man in front of him.' _Sano had been watching the backs of some good men. Kenshin, Captain Sagara…He wanted Outa to grow up looking at Sano's back.

But when Uki and Higashidani didn't say anything, he just walked away, knowing that Outa wasn't the coward.

Uki's eyes widened in surprise as Sano slowly retreated from the road. She snapped out of her sad, mournful thoughts and knelt down in front of Outa, turning him to face her instead of Sano.

"Listen, Outa," she said purposefully, giving a sidelong glance at her dad. He slowly nodded. "You…go to Tokyo." As soon as the words were out her mouth, she was crying. "Become strong, Outa. Be good."

Outa burst into tears as well and wrapped his arms around his sister. "I will onee-chan!"

Uki released him reluctantly so Higashidani could scoop his youngest son up. "Be good to your brother, Outa."

Still crying, the little boy nodded.

"You're very brave," Higashidani went on. "Don't forget about us."

The three family members hugged. When they broke apart, Outa turned around to where Sano was quickly disappearing.

"Sano-nii!" He cried, running after him with tears in his eyes and laughter in his throat. "Sano!"

Sanosuke turned around to see his little brother running wildly toward him. He could barely make out the figures of Uki and his dad, standing behind Outa. "Hey kid," he greeted Outa.

"Hiya Sano!" Outa grinned.

Unable to contain his strange feeling of happiness, Sano ruffled Outa's hair. "Right then," Sano muttered to himself. "We're off to Tokyo!"

-

Megumi stitched her patient up with fluid, methodical movements. She tied off the string with nimble fingers and allowed a small smile to come forth. "You keep off that leg for a few weeks," she told the old man.

"Yes. Thank you Takani-sensei," he replied, swinging himself gingerly off the operating table. He stood stiffly and awkwardly bowed to her.

Megumi did the same in return and went to the sink as her patient walked out the door. She took her hair down and turned on the faucet, sticking her hands underneath the water.

Once she heard the door shut, Megumi turned off the faucet and simply stared down at the porcelain sink. Somehow, Sano's face emerged among the soap and water that was being washed down the drain. She turned the faucet back on so it would wash away quick, and a stray black lock of hair was sucked into the drain as well.

Megumi jumped when she heard the door opening.

"Oh, did you forget something—" she began, assuming it was her patient from a moment before. When she turned around to face the intruder, her heart nearly stopped.

Sagara Sanosuke was standing in her doorway, grinning and looking as shaggy and rugged as ever. He extended his right fist to her, which was wrapped up in bandages rather messily.

"Sano…" Megumi whispered, leaning back against the sink and clutching her chest where her heart beat irregularly.

"Hey kitsune," Sano replied.

Ignoring his slightly bloody right hand, Megumi launched herself toward him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Didn't know you were _that_ glad to see me," Sano murmured, stroking her hair.

He stepped back from her, and it was then that Megumi noticed the little boy behind Sano, his round face peeking out at Megumi.

Sano stepped forward, his lips descending on Megumi's. He was about an inch away from kissing her when Megumi placed two fingers on his lips, stopping him.

"Not in front of the kid, Sano," Megumi said teasingly. She removed her fingers.

Sano looked away, a blush staining his cheeks. He coughed. "Um, yeah. Megumi, this is my brother, Outa."

The little boy came all the way into view at last.

Stunned, Megumi kneeled down in front of him so they were eye to eye. She seemed unable to comprehend. "Brother…?" She said softly. "But—" She looked back up at Sano quickly. "Really, Sano?"

"He was born after I left home," Sano supplied. "But he's definitely my younger brother, no matter how wimpy he may act."

In front of Megumi, Outa was looking uncomfortable. But the lady doctor just turned back to him and smiled. She kissed his cheek. "You're practically family," she told him. Then, glancing at Sano with a smile she whispered, "Don't worry, I'll make sure you grow up to be less of a brute than your baka older brother." She winked and Outa giggled, happy to be let in on such a big secret.

"Hey!" Sano scowled. "What are you telling him, fox?" He took Outa by the shoulders and snatched him away from where Megumi was.

Megumi giggled and stood up again. "Oh, nothing…"

"Sure, sure," Sano replied, grumbling. "Listen, I need you to…patch up my hand again."

As soon as she heard this, Megumi threw her hands up in exasperation. "Always, _always_ with the hand, isn't it? Please don't tell me you used _Futaenoki_ whatever again, Sano, you know you're not supposed to!"

Sano could only give a sheepish smile in reply.

"He never learns…" Megumi said, mostly to Outa who giggled.

Thirty minutes later, Sano's right hand was properly patched up and he and Outa were leaving the clinic, mostly because a new wave of clients had arrived.

"Was that your girlfriend onii-chan?" Outa teased, something Sano didn't know he was capable of, being only eight.

"Hey, let's have none of this 'older brother' business," Sano admonished. "It's weird. Just call me Sano."

"Is Megumi-san your girlfriend, Sano?" Outa amended, this time sounding honestly curious.

"Sure is!" Sano replied proudly. He was relieved when Outa didn't have a skeptical face after that. Most people did when Sano told them that the fox-doctor was his woman.

After a few moments of silent walking, Outa spoke up again. "She sure is strong, isn't she?"

It seemed like an ordinary thing to say, but it made Sano stop in his tracks. It was a moment before he replied, "Yeah. Yeah she is." He suddenly remembered the way Uki's bruise had been patched up so expertly.

"Outa?" Sano said, after a second of thinking. "Have you ever thought about what you wanted to do? When you were no longer with Uki or dad?"

Outa slowly shook his head. "Because…" he began in a small voice.

Sano knew why. He had lived most of his eight years trying to scrap up money. Fudozawa had created a life that had no future for Outa.

"I just wanted us to leave Shinshuu," Outa said.

Sano almost smiled. Outa had gotten that wish. "I know, kid."

They continued walking.

"Sano?" Outa questioned delicately. "Do you think…that I could be a real doctor like Megumi-san?"

Sano couldn't stop a broad smile from breaking out on his face. "Absolutely, Outa. I think you'd make a great doctor."

It had been Sano's original intention to have Outa learn the Kamiya Kasshin and become strong like Yahiko and Kaoru were. But now that Outa had said that…it made so much sense.

Even though she was his girl, Sano really looked up to Megumi. And it had taken until then to realize that seeing Outa become a doctor like Megumi would make him just as proud as seeing him become a swordsman like Kenshin.

So maybe it wasn't a question of watching the backs of good men, but rather watching the backs of good women.

* * *

A/N: I hope that I did better with this chapter, maybe. There were a lot of reasons that I wrote this whole sequence with Sano and his family. The number one reason was to introduce the conflict of the story (Enizu.) Also to get Outa and make him be a doctor instead of a swordsman. And also because I really enjoyed writing Uki. Out of all the characters in the RK manga, I relate most to her. Even more than I relate to my very own OC! Weird how that works, huh?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully the next chapter will be up shortly, because it's going to be one of those chapters I'll just love writing.

**Zioncross: **_I'm really glad to hear that Sano and Megumi were in character. I know that's a real challenge for a lot of people, because they tend to want to overplay Megumi and Sano's personalities_.

**Another Baka: **_Thank you, and I love your penname_.

**Cathy Mark: **_Thanks for sticking with me. Glad you liked it._

**Crewel: **_I hope you liked this SM part, even if it wasn't as passionate as you thought. There's defiantly going to be at least one more really good Sano/Megumi part, so look out for that. Aww…thank you_.

**Naughty Girl: **_Well, he hasn't quite disappeared yet. Even if Misao thinks it's okay for now, Soujiro will be back. But I'm not saying how soon._

**Erica Madarine: **_I'm glad you liked it. And I hope I'll update sooner too!_

**Also, a special thanks to kei-san, who is going through my old fics so she can join us here. Thank you for all your encouragement over the weeks!**

You guys seriously rock.


	9. Naruku: The Meaning of a Promise

Disclaimer of doom. I certainly own nothing that you would recognize. ATTENTION: This fic will now be placed under the Sano/Megumi pairing, starting next chapter and until further notice. Please remember so you can find it again!

A/N: I'm sorry for my very slow update and breaking my ten-day promise that I don't think has ever been fulfilled sinceI made it. I did, however, finally get Naruku's website up in this lengthy break between chapters! Props, anyone?

Anyway, I apologize and I know updating will get better! I promise. No more seventeen day gaps, for sure. I don't want you guys to forget what's going on!

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 9:_

_Naruku: The Meaning of a Promise _

_-_

**A**fter Sano had dropped Outa off at the longhouse, he headed across town to the dojo. At first, Sano didn't want to leave Outa in such a neighborhood by himself, but least of all did he want his little brother with him when he went to deliver such heart-breaking news to the dojo.

Sano wished he had asked Megumi to take care of Outa, but he knew that she was busy already and he had no right to make it worse. With the instructions of not talking to anyone, not going out and not touching anything, Sano was sure that Outa would be safe in the longhouse.

Meanwhile, Sano had his own problems. He had to tell everyone—_everyone_, and that meant Naruku, too—that Enizu was back. Or close to it anyway.

Sano walked in an uneven pace up the path. Half of him wanted to sprint to the dojo and get it all out, and half of him wanted to move slowly, so slowly that he would never reach the front gate.

But he did arrive there. And as soon as he touched the smooth, wooden surface, he knew there was no going back. He scanned the courtyard, and was surprised to see that no one was out there.

Since it was late in the evening, Sano figured that all of the Kamiya Kasshin students had headed home already and the Kenshin-gumi had probably already eaten supper. That was good, it would make things easier for Sano. He walked casually up to the house and inside. He almost jumped when he was greeted by a man even taller than Sano himself.

"Shinomori," Sano addressed the man, who nodded back in reply.

"Hello Sagara-san. I had no idea that you were back," Aoshi said.

Sano chuckled uneasily. "Yeah, well, I only just got back."

Luckily, Sano did not have to endure any more strained silence with Aoshi because Naruku jumped out of the kitchen toward them, her hands covered with suds so it was clear she had just been doing the dishes.

"Sano!" Naruku cried. "Where have you been? Kaoru and I were about to send out a search party, and even Kenshin got worried. You really shouldn't run off like that, you know."

"Koneko," Sano said to stop the girl's rant. When she finally ceased, Sano exhaled slowly. "Koneko, are you…all right?"

She looked at Sano strangely and gave Aoshi a confused sidelong glance. "Yes, thank you for asking," she replied in all sincerity.

Sano blushed. "Well, you know, that…" he had almost forgotten that no one at the dojo knew anything about Enizu returning. In fact, the evil bastard was probably fading from Naruku's mind by the day as she immersed herself in a peaceful life at the dojo. And now Sano had to bring the demon back into her life.

Sano nervously wiped his face with his hand in anticipation. He had never been amongst the most eloquent bunch.

"Is this about Akeri, Sano?" Naruku questioned, understanding a little more. "Because I'm feeling a lot better about that, you know," she spoke carefully, trying to make eye contact with Sano, who was fidgeting.

"Uh, Aoshi?" Naruku asked her other male friend. "Can you get Kenshin from the garden. Please?" She didn't break her gaze on Sano.

Aoshi nodded to her request. "I'll be back shortly." He cast a worried glance over at Naruku before disappearing out the back door.

Sano cleared his throat. "You may as well get Jou-chan, itachi and the brat," he called after Aoshi. "This is something everyone needs to hear."

Aoshi nodded and disappeared out the door. Naruku's gaze lingered on the closed door and then she turned back to Sano, coming closer.

"Sano," Naruku said quietly. "Please tell me what this is about. You know I hate not knowing. And you _know_ I can't be patient like this." She tapped her foot for emphasis.

Sano cleared his voice again. "Well…you know Kenshin would…and Kaoru might like….Yahiko, too…even Misao…"

Naruku raised her eyebrows. "I think I have some idea what you're getting at, but I wish you'd talk a little more coherently."

She sounded a little petulant, so Sano fell silent. The silence lasted a few moments before Aoshi and Kenshin finally arrived down the hall. Tailing them was Kaoru, Yahiko and Misao.

Sano surveyed them quietly and grimly. Behind him, Naruku yanked on his bandana, causing him to yelp and turn toward her.

"Well?" she said. "Everyone's here."

Sano nodded. He turned and addressed their group as a whole.

"I hate to be telling you this. I hate that it's true. But you gotta know. It's Enizu. He's back."

For a second it seemed like no one heard it. Like he had spoken and no words had come out. Everyone was staring straight at Sano, hardly a change in their expressions.

"…excuse me?" Kaoru said, breaking the heavy silence. Her voice was high and squeaky. "Did you just…"

Sano nodded grimly. "It's true."

Naruku's eyes darkened and she suddenly looked very determined. Behind her, Kenshin looked very worried, but a hint of his old battle expression could be seen.

"Did you see him?" Misao wanted to know.

"Did you talk to him?" Kenshin asked more sharply.

Sano shook his head quickly. "No. No I didn't see him, didn't speak to him. But he's in Shinshuu, he's got control of the silk export and I know there's more to it than that."

He glanced warily at Naruku, afraid of how she would take the news. To his surprise, the first thing she said on the matter was uttered in her normal tone.

"Silk export? Sano, what are you talking about?" Naruku asked.

Sano whirled toward the small girl. "Listen to me!" he bellowed, snatching up her wrist. Beside her, Kenshin started toward Sano.

"Enizu's here, I know it!" Sano roared at Naruku. A part of him was frantically worrying because she didn't take badly to the news. He wanted a reaction, anything; because there was a sinking suspicion in Sano that Naruku still cared for the evil bastard Enizu.

At his angry words, Naruku shrank back, fear and sadness in her eyes.

Sano's hold on her wrist loosened. "I'm sorry koneko…" he said softly. He was in more ways than one. Just by the fleeting look on her face, Sano knew he was wrong to doubt her at all. It was disloyal of him to think that Naruku, the one who suffered most out of all of them, would still find some way to connect with their enemy. In retrospect, Naruku had the best reason to hate Enizu out of everyone.

But Naruku nodded, silently forgiving Sano. They were all silent in anticipation for a second longer. "He really is back," Naruku said quietly.

Around her, everyone's heads were bowed.

"It's hard to believe," Yahiko spoke up, his voice unnaturally rough and uneven. "But you're right. I guess we were making ourselves believe we'd never see him again. The funny thing is, now that we know he's coming back, I can't feel anything."

Kaoru glanced over at her student, a special kind of grief in her expression.

Ever the bright one, Misao spoke up. "I'm really worried, minna. I think that it might be a good idea for you to get out of here for a while. Enizu knows exactly where you live. I know that you just came from Kyoto, Kaoru-san, but I know that we'd accept with open doors and—"

"No," Kenshin spoke very sharply to her. Misao fell immediately silent. "I'm sorry, Misao-dono. The people we leave behind here, Tae-san, Tsubame, Megumi and anyone we have contact with will be endangered. I realize that you Oniwaban know how to deal with a threat like this, but it is still not my wish to involve you either."

As he spoke, Kenshin's hands went to rest on Naruku's shoulders for comfort and closeness. Naruku brought her arm up to cover Kenshin's hand with her own. She then let her arm fall limp and drop.

"Naruku," Aoshi spoke. "Despite what Himura-san says, the choice is yours."

Naruku blinked. Part of her resented Aoshi for taking away Kenshin's authority and putting the decision in her arms. Another part of her was glad she could say what she meant.

"We will stay here in Tokyo. I refuse to let Enizu make me run," she clenched her fist. He next words were spoken in a fierce whisper. "I've been his puppet for too long. I will fight back."

"_We_ will," Yahiko butted in.

Sano almost smiled at the sight of his friends, so determined in their choice and so ready to stick up for themselves. They had faced challenges before, and now it was evident in their fierce and determined stares. There was not a hopeless one among them.

"I know we'll all be just fine," Sano said. "I'm sure of it."

Naruku smiled at him gratefully, thanking him for everything. For telling them, for his confidence and helping them keep strength through it all.

Aoshi cleared his throat uncertainly. "I don't think it's a good idea for Misao and myself to remain here."

All faces snapped to pay him attention. Especially Misao and Naruku, who looked at him in shock. Something seemed to come over Misao and her expression softened as she came to understand Aoshi's words.

"But…why?" Naruku asked. She didn't want to be separated from them. Hadn't they just said they'd all stand together through it all?

Aoshi bowed his head. "Takeda has no knowledge of our contact with everyone here. Don't forget that he holds a grudge against myself as well as you, Himura. If he knew we were comrades…" Enizu's sworn enemy and the one who cursed his very name. Were Enizu to know they were allied, it could motivate him to strike quicker and even more viciously.

Kenshin smiled. At first, he had agreed with everything Aoshi said. Perhaps it was the way he had called them 'comrades' that changed Kenshin's mind. After all, _comrades_ was the word that Aoshi used to describe the deceased Oniwaban. The only men he had trusted in his life.

"I understand what you mean, Aoshi," Kenshin said clearly. "But I will have to beg you to remain here. You and Misao-dono mean a lot to us. We will be able to defend ourselves better with everyone here."

Aoshi nodded, accepted his offer, and silently thanking him. There was a part of the stoic man that wanted to remain with all of his friends.

A big part of him, Aoshi amended as Kaoru's blue eyes locked with his. Below her entrancing orbs was a smile.

Again, Aoshi cleared his throat.

"This has been a long night," he said. "I'm sure we're all tired. We should get rest for tomorrow."

They nodded in agreement and sluggishly began dispersing. As the Kenshin-gumi filtered out of the hallway to their respective destinations, Aoshi paused next to Kenshin.

"Would you like to keep a watch out tonight? I would be willing to take a shift," Aoshi said quietly.

Kenshin silently shook his head. "I have no fears for tonight."

Aoshi nodded and continued toward his room.

Beside Kenshin, Naruku stared vacantly down the now empty hallway.

"Naruku?" he said quietly to her, grasping her upper arm and shaking her ever so slightly as if to wake her from her daze.

She took a sharp intake of breath and turned toward him. "Hearing Aoshi say that…that we might need someone to stand guard, I mean. It really…Well, Kenshin, before that there was a part of me that didn't see how real the threat is. Now that we are having to take precautions it's like…we don't even know what's going to happen, but Enizu could come at any moment." She shivered. "It scares me, Kenshin," she concluded in a very small voice.

Kenshin's arm went from her arm to around her waist, pulling her close to his body. He pressed his forehead against hers, not knowing that this was the closeness she craved, just the sheer togetherness that she longed for. To be touching Kenshin, even just near him, was to be safe.

"You know I will always protect you and everyone here," Kenshin said softly. His eyes bore into hers and she was transfixed with the strength he showed without even meaning to. "Don't let these things trouble you, Naruku. I promise everything will be all right."

Naruku was not that easily dissuaded from her fears. "I know I'll dream of him tonight," she whispered, lowering her eyes.

_Oh Enizu,what woe you induce in her heart,_ Kenshin thought bitterly. He stepped back from Naruku and raised her chin with his hand. "I will protect you Naruku, even if that means coming right down into that dream with you. I will do everything I can."

His tone was the epitome of sincerity. There was no mocking and no tease to his voice. He was dead-on serious about his promise to her.

"How…" Naruku looked away as Kenshin's hand dropped back to his side. "How can you make a promise like that…and know that you will not break it? How can you say something like that and know that it will not be a lie?"

"Because," Kenshin answered, a note of ease in his tone. "It's true." He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her brow comfortingly. "I do not make empty promises."

Naruku closed her eyes serenely. "That is something I should know by now."

"We all have our doubts," he replied easily, squeezing her hand with his own. Before he could walk away, Naruku spoke.

"Please," she blurted. "Stay with me tonight. At least…until sleep takes me." It was a request, not a demand, and it was uttered in such an uncertain tone.

But she said it, nevertheless, and Kenshin slowly nodded his agreement.

Naruku shyly led Kenshin back to her room. Once inside, she instructed him to turn around while she changed into her sleeping yukata. He complied and when Naruku was done changing she slipped into her futon, quickly blowing out the lantern. Near her, she could hear Kenshin settling down next to the wall, his sakabatou on the floor, pinned beneath his left hand.

It was like that, in the dark, that Kenshin soon heard Naruku's soft breathing and knew she was asleep.

It was Kenshin's presence that drove away Naruku's midnight demons that so often visited. That night, Naruku slept dreamlessly.

-

­It was a lovely afternoon and Megumi was well aware of it, so she invented some excuse to go into town. Earlier that day, she had picked Outa up from Sanosuke's longhouse, after berating her beloved for leaving a young boy all alone in such a place.

Outa was cheerful and lovable and Megumi liked having him around, always asking questions, but always questions about her practice. She loved knowing that such a small mind was so eager to do great things and study the art of healing and the science of medicine.

Because she liked his company so much, Megumi had invited Outa along with her to go to town. To her surprise, the boy politely declined the offer, preferring to stay in the clinic, even under the oath that he wouldn't touch anything.

"No thank you Takani-sensei," was what Outa had replied to her invitation. It sounded like something he had practiced beforehand, the way his little boy's voice grasped the words. "I'd like to look around some more."

His sincere curiosity made Megumi laugh and delight, so she agreed to let him stay there by himself.

"That's fine, Outa," Megumi replied. "Just remember not to touch anything, especially the needles."

Outa nodded seriously.

"Oh, and one more thing," she said, halfway out the door already. "If Sano drops by, tell him to beat it." She accompanied this with a wink so Outa would know she was joking.

A quarter of an hour later, Megumi was well on her way into town, enjoying the way sunlight dappled her face and the way the air smelled of plum and cherry blossoms. So immersed in these joys was she, that Megumi did not notice the evil that lurked behind her footsteps.

* * *

A/N: I know, I don't update for more than two weeks and then when I do it ends a cliffhanger. I'm just so easy to forgive, aren't I? 

Thank you everyone who's been sticking with me, and everyone who's found their interested piqued by this fanfiction. I am always eager to receive your comments, no matter what they are. (Of course, if you must know, I'm a sucker for detail. Means a lot more and it helps me a lot more, you know?)

**Crewel:**_ Not in this fic, I don't think. More Sano and Megumi in next chapter, for sure!_

**Yuna:**_ I understand what you mean about Soujiro. Don't worry, his part isn't over yet. Do you think I'd leave Misao like that? Nah. I'm surprised that you think that Kenshin's part is short, because he's supposed to be one of the very central characters. (Well, they all are, really.) I see where you're coming from, though…don't worry, Kenshin's part is going to become very important later on._

**Zioncross: **_I love hearing from you. I think I'll have more Outa and Sano in the next chapter. I'm glad you like the way I portray them._

**Mysterious samurai: **_Thanks! I love knowing that someone's thinking positively about my fanfiction._

**Erica Mandarine: **_it seems like everyone likes a different pairing! Soujiro and Misao will definitely get some spotlight later on, but for now Soujiro's AWOL._

**Genki Ninjagirl: **_I know, I'm so sorry for taking so long! Please don't give up on me because I will _never_ give up on one of my fanfictions. In the event of my death, I guess I'll just have to buy some cheap typewriter in the Other World. 8-) There will always be an update at some point, until this fic is done. _

**Cathy Mark: **_I know, I'm sorry. Of course I'll always continue. Please try and be patient and I'll try and be quicker!_

**Okane-sama:**_ I'm glad you like how I portray Sano, headstrongness and all. Awesome penname. 8-)_

You guys are awesome. Every time I receive a review I feel that much more motivated to write the next part. I swear, without reviewers I might've lost interest with this series long ago. Thanks to you, I'm completely submerged in my writing about Naruku and the rest of the Kenshin-gumi.

Before I forget: does anyone care to explain this "atom" device to me? What's it even for?


	10. Megumi: An Enemy Found

Disclaimer: Do the Disclaimer! I don't own Ru-rou-ni Ken-shin, I don't own Ru-rou-ni Ken-shin (Like the Hustle.) Do do do do do dodo do do.

A/N: Aha! It's just over a week since my last update, huh? You thought I couldn't do it, didn't you? –evil laugh- The chapter kind of just came out.

And, I'm putting this on my Bio soon,

**The Top Three Places I Get My Fic Ideas:**

Number one, and this one has been the setting of some of my most fantastic inspiration: Math Class.

Number two, while brushing my teeth.

And finally, number three which probably applies to everyone: Right before I go to sleep.

Wait, before you start reading! _Kisama_ is a very rude way of saying "you."

And I hope you know what a kiosk is. If you don't, it's those cart thingys that are at the mall all the time and sell stuff. And are usually on wheels. But really it's just a little hut. Doesn't have to be on wheels.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 10_

_Megumi: An Enemy Found_

_-_

**O**n her way into town, Megumi figured she'd get some errands done as well, so she didn't feel too bad about neglecting her duties for the afternoon. She stopped by an apothecary kiosk to browse. As her eyes scanned the little jars full of salve and the branches and twigs of various herbs, Megumi could feel the presence of someone looking over her shoulder. It was eerie and creepy and she did not want to turn around.

Starting to sweat a little nervously, Megumi subtly inched to the side and hunched forward a little. It was then that a hand reached out and grabbed her shoulder, causing the normally composed doctor to jump, startled.

Behind her, the shopkeeper was grinning toothily. "Can I help you, miss?" he asked.

Megumi smiled politely, partly out of relief. "No thank you. I just got a shipment of this," she motioned to the particular salve she had been concentrating on. "You have a very nice collection. I should be on my way now."

"Please come back sometime," the shopkeeper replied as Megumi turned around.

As she walked away from the kiosk, Megumi's expression darkened and she wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. She didn't know if it was paranoia or what, but Megumi had a deepening feeling of foreboding.

Her heart rate calmed and her paced slowed down somewhat, so Megumi started to feel at ease. She let her mind wander to other things, such as how Kaoru was, how Sano was doing and how long it would be before she left for Aizu. She knew it would be a while; she wanted at least another month with Sano. And there were still things to sort out…Megumi bit her lip uncertainly. It was very complicated, and a very big part of her didn't want to say goodbye, but it had been her dream. And still was.

"Megumi," a voice whispered in her ear.

Megumi furiously whirled around. In doing so, she was caught off guard and the man behind her pushed her into the alleyway, pinning her against the grimy wall. Megumi winced at the impact, fiercely struggling against her attacker who had a firm grip on her. Between him and the wall, Megumi could not move an inch.

He tightened his hold on her wrists. "How lovely it is to see you again, Megumi."

Megumi froze as she realized who it was. In the shady alleyway it was hard to see his face, but the tone was unmistakable. "_Kisama,_" she hissed.

He moved his head so that one of his blue eyes glittered at her. "My dear, after all this time have you only rude words for me?"

Megumi's breathing was heavy and her heart raced so quickly that she feared she could not breathe. "Bastard," she spat. She knew that he was toying with her and she hated that. "Stay away from here, Enizu."

Enizu seemed to step back a little at the mention of his name. "You break my heart, fox."

Megumi's eyes burned with rage and she found that she had broken free from Enizu's hold. Without thinking, she raised her right hand and tore her nails across his face.

Before Megumi could even pause to think, Enizu slammed her back up against the wall, her wrists pinned high above her. Enizu's face loomed next to hers, snarling and enraged.

"Do you really want to be doing that?" he said in a very menacing voice. His nails dug deep into her wrists and Megumi was not sure what to say.

She remained silent, but an involuntary whimper emerged from her chapped lips. She would admit it, Enizu scared her very much. And with good reason. The day before, Sano had informed her that Enizu might be back, but she never expected to see the despicable man herself. Why her?

"I will slit your throat," Enizu growled. "And _kill_ that damned street-punk and the Battousai as well!" His voice rose to a loud roar, but Megumi knew it would not be heard anywhere but in her own ears.

Angry tears welled up in Megumi's eyes as she whished she was anywhere but there. His touch revolted her and his stench was foul. She felt a lump form in her throat and choked. Why her? If she hadn't been so afraid, she would have laughed, bitterness taking control of her emotions.

"I will make sure they all suffer," Enizu said in a softer tone. "Even you, my dearest."

Without meaning to, Megumi cried out futilely. It was a loud sob and nothing more, but somewhere she could hear the word help emitting from her own throat.

"I'm sorry," Enizu said. "Is this reminding you of my brother, Kanryuu?"

Megumi didn't say anything. She didn't make a sound this time. But her silence let Enizu know how much he was affecting her.

"I know you didn't like him, huh?" Enizu continued in a husky tone. "But you liked me quite well, if I remember correctly."

He chuckled and ran his fingers along the milky skin of her face and neck. She didn't move, but his breath and touch made her inwardly shiver. Suddenly, Enizu pulled his hand back from her neck.

"Do you not remember?" he asked. "That little kiss we shared? Just less than a year ago. I'm sure you remember." His fingers went back to her neck.

"I remember," she spoke in a poisonous voice. "You made Naruku think she loved you. For over five damned years of her life, you made her believe that. And then I learned you'd go off and screw with any woman who comes your way. Fuck you, Enizu."

"Jealous, Megumi?" Enizu laughed, his hand tracing down the side of her arm and the contours of her body. "Mad, because I didn't want you then?" His laugh grew louder and he leaned into her ear. "I do now. Because you don't."

Megumi's eyes narrowed. "Get away from me!" she shrieked. "And stay the hell away from Ken-san and Naruku. If you come near _either_ of them, Enizu…" she screamed it at his face. Her wrists dropped from his hold and she stumbled against the wall.

He let her go. She didn't say another word, but ran from that spot as fast as she could, Enizu's haunting laugh looming behind her.

-

Yahiko marched diligently alongside Sano as they strolled down the road into town. Sano glanced over at Yahiko's rigid face, not trying to conceal it at all.

"So, what, you ditch practice today?" Sano asked.

"I guess so," Yahiko replied shortly. "Now that Kaoru's gotten hurt, there's nothing really I can learn."

"But aren't you supposed to be helping with lessons?" Sano inquired.

Yahiko shrugged carelessly. "Kaoru's got Shinomori doing that."

"Hn," was Sano's reply. He knew he should find that amusing, ex-ninja like Aoshi helping out a kendo class of pubescent boys…but Sano was having a hard time finding anything funny. It was easy to laugh it up with Naruku, Misao or Yahiko, but none of them had seemed too cheerful lately. Sano sighed.

Yahiko sighed again. Gloomy day, despite the bright sun. Suddenly, Yahiko snapped to attention. His senses, which had grown more acute over the years, sensed someone with a quicker pace than everyone else on the road. Someone was running toward them.

Sano noticed it too, and from his height he scanned the crowd. His eyes widened when he spotted Megumi, sprinting as fast as she could down the road. He could barely see her face, but he knew that her expression was not good.

"Yahiko," Sano said, without glancing down at his younger friend.

"Yeah, Sano?" Yahiko answered.

"I'll have to catch up with you later. Take care. Don't tell Jou-chan I left you alone," Sano replied. And with that, he took off.

"Hm," Yahiko grunted after Sano was gone. "I don't see why it matters. I can take perfectly good care of myself." Realizing he was talking to the air in front of him, Yahiko shut his mouth and continued walking with no particular destination. His posture loosened up a little and he found himself half-enjoying the cruise down the road. Usually Yahiko disliked being alone, because he liked excitement and noise and chatter. But right then it was nice, knowing her didn't have to do anything for a few hours.

Yahiko's eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he caught a flash of blue that was too bright to belong amongst the commoners on the road. Following his instinct, Yahiko followed it until they were in a less congested area of the road.

It was then that Yahiko recognized him. Walking fifty meters in front of him and heading down an empty alley was Seta Soujiro.

-

Sano cursed to himself as he ran to catch up with Megumi. It didn't seem like she noticed him, for she hadn't sped up or slowed down in her pace.

"Megumi!" Sano called desperately. "'ey, Megumi!"

She turned and was temporarily distracted from her wild dash away. Sano, though, was determined and sped up to catch her. Before she could run again, Sano had his arms around her waist.

"Megumi," he whispered into her ear, now that she was safe in his arms.

"Get _off_ me," she cried, struggling away from Sano.

Surprised, Sano released her, a deeply hurt look on his face. "Megumi, I…" His eyes darkened when he glanced at the angry marks on her wrist. "What happened?" he questioned in a fierce tone, snatching up one of her arms for closer inspection.

"_Nothing_," she wrenched her hand away. "Just leave, Sano."

"Not until you tell me," Sano answered evenly. "What happened? How did you get this?" he motioned to her harmed wrists.

"It's nothing, Sano, I'm really bust right now," Megumi lied, blatantly avoiding his eyes.

"So is that why you left Outa at the clinic?" Sano asked very seriously.

Megumi pulled away from him. "Just—leave me be."

"I can't Megumi, not when you're like this. What happened. Please."

Megumi shook her head as tears sprung from her eyes. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, Sano."

-

As Soujiro made his way down the alleyway, Yahiko followed him as quietly as he could. He slunk around next to the walls. Up ahead he spotted a group of convenient barrels. His eyes brightened and once Soujiro had walked far enough, Yahiko darted out of shadows and his behind the barrels.

Yahiko felt a ready excitement pulse in his chest. He wasn't sure why. He didn't even know what he was planning to find. But the question still remained: why was Soujiro, who Yahiko hadn't seen since he turned up and then left the dojo, going down a deserted alleyway? Holding his breath, Yahiko waited for an answer.

"What a strange place to be meeting, Enizu-san," Yahiko could hear Soujiro's voice say cheerily. He had moved out of sight from where Yahiko was peeking between two barrels.

In frustration, Yahiko squatted down on his knees to look through a bigger gap between barrels. His brown eyes widened. _Enizu._ He was that close. Close enough to _smell._

"Well I don't know how you did things with Shishio," Enizu replied good-naturedly to Soujiro's comment. "But I know we won't be heard…or seen here." A sadistic grin twisted the man's face.  
"I guess you're right about that," Soujiro admitted. Yahiko could hear the slight chuckle in his voice. Yahiko's eyes narrowed and he broke out in sweat. What exactly was taking place, just a few meters in front of him?

-

What could it possibly be that's eating away at Megumi like this?

Sano furrowed his brow in thought. Megumi stood, turned away from him, her head down. She didn't move.

"Megumi, whatever it is…you know that I'll protect you," he reached out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She leapt away. "No!" she wailed. "Not…this time you can't." Despite her words, Megumi turned back to face him, falling into his arms and burying her face in his coat.

"Why won't you tell me, Megumi?" Sano said, stroking her hair. His voice was soft, but Megumi could hear the bite of anger in it.

"Because you'll get angry."

"I already am."

"More than that. You'll be…ohh, Sano, I don't want to think about it. I'm scared. I don't want it to have happened," Megumi sobbed. "Please say it didn't happen. Tell me my imagination is over-active. Tell me I'm paranoid and seeing things. And hearing them. And feeling them. Oh, Sano, it's so cold…"

Sano's expression darkened as Megumi continued to prattle on, her voice muffled by his chest. She closed her eyes, but when the leering face of Enizu rushed up at her, she opened her eyes. And started to cry harder. She couldn't close her eyes for a second without seeing him.

"I don't want to see him anymore," Megumi stated flatly, her voice quavering.

She could feel Sano's hands tighten on her shoulders. "Who?"

Why was he asking? He already knew.

­-

"I'd like to have you as one of my forces, Soujiro, I really would," Enizu drawled. "But let's just say I'm not very trusting…" Yahiko watched as Enizu circled the young swordsman.

"What is it you want me to prove to you?" Soujiro asked, not bothering to turn and try to meet Enizu's gaze as the older man walked around him, scrutinizing. "If it's my strength, I would gladly fight anyone you say. Loyalty? Well I'm sure you know all about Shishio-san. Is it—"

"No, no, none of that," Enizu cut in sharply. "_That_ is not what I need. All I want to know is…how much do you hate Battousai? How far would you go to ensure his death?"

Soujiro laughed, and Yahiko winced at how light and joyous the sound was. Yahiko's fist clenched and unclenched. Watching Soujiro, Yahiko realized there was no stiffness to his posture, no catch in his voice. The Tenken was not frightened or intimidated at all.

Suddenly, though, Soujiro's eyes flashed a steely blue. His voice grew harsh and angry. "Enizu-san, those years ago when I fought Himura in Kyoto…it was all for the sake of Shishio-san. Now, it's become personal. He killed Shishio-san and Yumi-san as well. It's very personal, Enizu-san. Everything about Himura-san…frustrates me." His exterior was cool, but beneath there was a bubbling rage that even made Yahiko shiver.

Enizu smirked. "I can see that. But it would be best to keep your emotions low. I've heard many people say that this is your strength."

The heated ki that radiated from Soujiro immediately diminished. "What you heard is correct, Enizu-san."

He stopped pacing. "Speaking of your fight with Battousai, is there anything of interest you might tell me about him back then?"

Soujiro's lips thinned. "He was allied with two men. A street fighter and a cop," Soujiro recalled.

Yahiko's eyes narrowed. What was Soujiro saying?

Enizu nodded, no change in his face. "You fought him twice, didn't you?"

Soujiro nodded. "The first time there was—" his expression changed, a dark look that Yahiko could not decipher.

There was what? Yahiko wanted to scream. What was it that Soujiro was giving away to Enizu? And then Yahiko knew. Enizu was imploring about Kenshin's friends. About _Yahiko's_ friends.

The second time Soujiro and Kenshin had fought, Sano witnessed it.

The first time, in Shingetsu village…Misao had been there.

"The first time there was just the cop watching," Soujiro finished, speaking very quickly. "Our fight ended in a draw; both of our swords broke. The second time I swore he'd die, and he won the fight. After that he…"

Yahiko turned away so he was no longer looking at the two men. His mind raced. Soujiro…working for Enizu?

"I don't care if I ever fight that man again, I just want him _dead,_" Soujiro finished. He looked up. "Will you kill him, Enizu-san?"

Enizu's lips curved into a slow, thin smile. "Mark my words. Help my cause, and you might witness the act."

Not another word was spoken between them as they mutely walked back down the alley, right past where Yahiko crouched. Soujiro's hakama brushed against the barrel next to Yahiko's hand. He continued walking.

Yahiko jumped back and pressed himself against the wall. Once he was sure that both Enizu and Soujiro were gone, he silently crept out between the barrels, dizzy and very much confused.

­-

Later that night, Sano and Megumi laid together on the top of Sano's longhouse, the sky surrounding them in a blanket of blue velvet. Megumi stared, transfixed on one star, thinking about all the times they used to do this, before they had fought, before Sano had left for Shinshuu. Before Enizu stepped back into their lives.

Megumi shivered. Sano glanced at her, and without a word leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the lips, leaving her to wonder why, and also why not?

"Sano?" Megumi said after a few moments of just sitting.

"Yes, love?"

"Everything will be all right, won't it?" she asked, staring up at the moon.

"It will," Sano confirmed, brushing his lips across her cheek.

Megumi turned her face and caught his lips in another soft kiss. She deepened it, ever so slightly, telling him how much she needed him, and then pulled back. She stared at his brown eyes, wondering when they had gotten so deep-set, so wise…His eyes looked daunted, tired, sad…drowning. He was scared for her.

She kissed his forehead. "I hope so."

* * *

A/N: The chapter title, if you'll believe me, is actually referring to _Enizu_ and it was only now that I realize it sounds more like it's about Soujiro. But since this is a _Megumi_ chapter, it's about her meeting with Enizu.

By the way…please refrain from tomato or other rotten fruit throwing for that little bit with Soujiro. I know…the moment you get to see him again, he's gone psycho. Sorry.

Well, I did get the review I asked for to help me make up my mind. I know, I hate holding chapters for reviews like that, but I get really unsure when I have the chance to post a chapter early. I'll never do it again because I felt like such a jerk.

I do, however, get the feeling that people are reading and not reviewing. I'm very happy to know that more people are reading, but you guys know how it is, right? I want feedback! We all do.

**Crewel: **_Thank me? Thank _you_ for taking the time to review! I think this answers your question of what happened to Megumi…and also help you to see how evil Enizu really is, if you didn't know. I know how everyone was talking about him last chapter was really hyped up. He sounds a lot worse than he is, ne? (Or maybe not?) No I don't think Megumi will be headed to Aizu in this fic. It's just another hurtle in the Sano/Megumi pairing that will come into play in the next fic. _

**"Oro" Object: **_I know, and I'll be getting to them soon enough. Soujiro and Misao are _very _important in this fic. (Well, everyone is.) But even though I introduced them early on, they won't really come into play until a little later. But when that time comes, they'll be _very _important. I think this chapter may give you some reason as to why._

**Zioncross: **_I'm glad you approve of the whole Kenshin/Naruku angle. It's difficult, for some people. (And that's just the reason we all hate Enizu so much…) I do like Outa and Megumi when they interact. Add Sano and it's just one big happy family. _

**Another Baka: **_Yeah, they sure are. The focus of this fic is going to get a little more dramatic, as you can probably tell. But there'll be plenty of fluff, too._

**Genki Ninjagirl: **_All the RK females rock, don't they? (what do you mean you like them "too?" As well as who else?)_

**ShadowAoi: **_Wow! You don't know how surprised I was to see a review from you! I'm so sorry about your uncle, but I'm glad you had time to stop by again. You've always been one of the people who really immediately liked Naruku. I wonder why that is. I'm glad you liked everything and that you had a chance to read some of it. Thank you so much for your praise and comments! You always make me feel like I'm doing things right and that some people will actually notice some of the things I do. It makes me happy to see you pay attention to stuff like that. Don't forget to work on your own fics during the summer. _

Thanks for your feedback, everyone. Chapter eleven is already underway, so the quicker updating I promised is probably going to happen. Please, don't forget to review (I know that a few people are reading but not reviewing) and I'll see you next chapter.

**Important**: As of now, this story is under the pairing Sano/Megumi. Next chapter, it will be **Kaoru/Aoshi**. Hope you won't loose track of it (and I hope that gives you a little clue as to what next chapter's about!)


	11. Kaoru: The Consequences of Actions

Disclaimer of non-ownership: well, I don't own it. None of it. Not one tiny speck. Not one miniscule slice of it. Not even the most infinitesimal

— Okay, we get it! You don't own the biggest pancake ever made!

…oh yeah, or _Rurouni Kenshin_.

A/N: Well, look how good my updating has gotten, eh? Pretty good, eh? Less than a week! Were you surprised? I was surprised. Mostly due to the great support of my reviewers and because we're getting really close to the climactic part. Er…yeah. Anyway, this chapter is completely Kaoru/Aoshi, for all Kaoru/Aoshi fans, great fluff, drama, everything for Kaoru/Aoshi. I guess you could say it's a bit of a filler chapter, in comparison to last chapter. But it's good, I promise. 

_A Note: _This chapter is set _during_ chapter ten, so yeah, the two chapters happen simultaneously.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 11:_

_The Consequence of Actions_

_-_

**K**aoru was inexplicably in a good mood. Despite her damaged leg, she was still managing to teach her class, enlisting Aoshi's help.

"All right, everyone, just copy Shinomori-san's right thrust…very good, Hikaru," Kaoru commented, much to the boy's delight. Kaoru passed by Aoshi, who looked very weird with a shinai in hand.

"Where's Yahiko?" Aoshi asked in a soft voice as he joined her patrol down the line of students.

Kaoru looked up, unable to wipe a bright smile off her face. "I don't know. This is the first time in a long time that he's ditched practice."

She didn't seem entirely worried, so he didn't press the matter.

Kaoru continued, however. "I guess I can't blame him. These new students are definitely holding back his personal training very much. He's leagues ahead of them."

Aoshi nodded knowingly.

"It's been a little frustrating for me, too, but definitely rewarding," Kaoru smiled at Aoshi.

"Kamiya—"

She shot him a fierce gaze and stopped in her tracks.

Aoshi cleared his throat and made a 'calm down' gesture with his hands. "Kaoru, I mean. Perhaps you should let Yahiko continue to advance."

Kaoru looked at him questioningly. "But he's learned virtually everything except…oh!"

Before Aoshi could say anything more on the matter, Kaoru was called over by a frenzied student.

"Kaoru-sensei, I think that Yuki-kun hurt himself!"

Kaoru started toward them, but Aoshi held her back. "I'll see to it," he told her firmly. She nodded and stared after him as he rushed to the injured boy and helped him collect himself.

Kaoru turned back to the rest of her students. "Not to worry," she said. "Please continue with your drills."

She felt a strong tug on her sleeve. Whoever it was tugged harder before she could react and sent her whirling around. Because of her bad leg, Kaoru's balance was thrown off and she started to fall. Whoever it was behind her caught her and crushed her to his chest.

Instinctively wincing at the impact, Kaoru said her thanks and struggled to her feet, only to learn that her savior didn't want to let her go.

"Kaoru," he said in a low voice. Kaoru looked up to find she was in Momoru's sturdy arms.

"Thank you for catching me, Momoru-kun," Kaoru said in a tone as professional as she could muster in her position. "You can release me now."

"Oh, but I quite like you here, Kaoru," Momoru replied slickly. "I know I'm you're student, Kaoru, but I _am_ older than you, and no one can deny how very beautiful you are…" his hand inched lower on her back.

Kaoru quickly pushed herself away from him, not caring if she toppled over on the spot. Just to be away from Momoru's incessant flirting. "It's Kaoru-_sensei_," she growled at him. "Don't forget it, next time!"

"Feeling a little feisty, Kaoru?" came his reply from behind her. "That's fine. I knew you'd be a challenge."

Kaoru spun around and shot him an entirely disbelieving look before turning her back and walking down the drill hall. She almost slammed right into Aoshi, but he grabbed her shoulders before she could deal any damage.

Looking up at his face, Kaoru could not tell if Aoshi had witnessed Momoru's little act earlier. All he said was, "Yuki-kun should be fine. It's not even a sprain."

Kaoru swallowed and tried to look relieved. "That's good." This Momoru thing was bothering her way more than it should have. Maybe because she was so angry that Naruku and Sano had been right about her students. At least one of them.

-

As the students finished filing out of the drill hall, Kaoru learned that Aoshi had a little more to say than he let on.

"Kaoru," Aoshi began sternly as soon as Kaoru had hung her bokken back on the wall. "Your students don't respect you."

"What do you mean?" She snapped. "Of course they do, I'm their instructor."

"No," he came nearer, backing her up into the wooden wall. "You must never falter around them. Never show any interest other than that of a teacher. They already see too much in you."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Kaoru demanded, her voice going high and shrill, though whether that was from his accusations or their proximity she would never know.

"Kaoru, your students don't respect you as a teacher. They look at you and see the woman that you are. They think by learning from you, they can learn they way into your heart."

Kaoru was finally starting to catch on. Or so she thought. "Are you telling me how to teach my students?" She demanded in an icy voice. "Excuse me Aoshi, but _I_ am the assistant master around here. Not you."

He slammed both his hands onto the wall on either side of her head. She jolted in surprise. "You cannot falter," he repeated. "You must act as though your father would have. Otherwise they will look at you as an icon of lust or unrequited love, and will not learn from you."

Kaoru stared up at his eyes, which were narrowed and darkened. Her stare was not of determination or a response to being threatened but simply trying to figure him out. She titled her head, her movements slow. "Why are you saying this?"

Aoshi seemed to bite back a growl. He answered with another question. "What was that little charade with Momoru-san?"

"You saw that, did you?" Kaoru said, uncertainty and guilt in her voice.

Aoshi seemed to be having trouble suppressing his emotions. He swallowed and settled on a short, "Yes," for his answer.

Kaoru chewed her lip and looked directly up into Aoshi's eyes again. "Aoshi, I can handle it, really," she assured him.

"No, Kaoru," Aoshi answered softly, leaning down so his face was right next to hers and she had no choice but to look at him and listen to ever word. "I don't think you can."

Had Kaoru be listening, she might have found this very irritating. Fortunately for both her and Aoshi, she was not exactly listening. She heard his words but was more focused on how deep his voice was and how, well, sexy he was when he looked at her with concern and protectiveness like that. Before she could even think of a verbal response, Kaoru's unsteadily beating heart had taken over and she wrapped her arms around Aoshi's neck to draw his face closer to hers.

Her actions almost made him loose balance and he leaned harder on the wall. He was practically on top of her, and they were so close Kaoru almost couldn't breathe. She stared into his wide, surprised eyes and found herself closing the distance between them with a kiss.

Kaoru was inwardly scolding herself. _Nice job, Kaoru, _she scoffed inwardly. _This is exactly the way to convince him you aren't being too feminine. _Why had she given in? One second she was seething with his condescending tone, the next she was in a passionate embrace with him.

But she forgot all about her internal dispute when Aoshi got over his complete surprise and was reciprocating. His warm, calloused hand snaked around her slender waist, drawing her closer until she was pressed against him. Kaoru hadn't even realized she had flung her arms around his neck and was trailing long fingers through his midnight-colored hair.

Too lost in each other were they that they didn't realize how, now that they were clung so close to each other, there was nothing supporting any of their weight. The result of this being that they fell side-ways into the wall. Aoshi, quick-thinking as always, even with a beautiful woman in his arms, turned so the impact hit only his shoulders, bracing Kaoru's fall.

Even after they had nearly crashed into the wall, Kaoru still had her lips on his and she was deepening the kiss. Aoshi really had no mind for anything except to respond to her show of affection. He tightened his arms around her slender waist, not wanting to see or feel anything but her.

From deep in the back of her throat, Kaoru emitted a soft little noise of appreciation as she pressed him against the wall.

The two of them might have forgotten themselves completely if it weren't for the abrupt sliding open of the drill-hall door.

"Kaoru-sensei, I would like to—" Giichi's high voice cut itself off upon seeing what his sensei was currently engaged in.

Very reluctantly, but hastily all the same, Kaoru and Aoshi pulled apart from each other. The movement almost made Kaoru topple over but Aoshi caught her and stood up her upright, meanwhile trying to smooth his utterly ruffled hair.

"G-Giichi!" Kaoru greeted, her voice piercing and stuttering. To say she was going red would have been a gross understatement. Kaoru could not remember a time being so embarrassed. Then again, Kaoru also couldn't remember what she had eaten for breakfast that very same day.

The poor boy in the doorway looked from Aoshi to Kaoru in complete befuddlement. A very forlorn look flashed across his face and he dashed away from the drill hall.

Kaoru sighed and drooped down, her eyes resting on the floor to the left of her. She couldn't bring herself to look at Aoshi.

"That was ill-advised," he told her, regaining composure.

Kaoru was suddenly very mad. She snapped her vision to Aoshi. "As if it's all _my_ fault?"

Aoshi regarded her glare mildly. "I don't see why not. You are the one who initiated it."

"In…_Initiated _it?" she cried, mind going blank with fury.

"You kissed me. I only responded," he went on.

"Well maybe if you hadn't been leaning in so close!" She shot back, curling her hands into fists.

"I knew I wouldn't get the point across otherwise," he replied blandly.

"Oh is _that_ so? So physical interaction was _not_ on you agenda?" She retorted. "You didn't even think there was a slight chance we'd end up kissing?"

Aoshi rubbed his head. "All right Kamiya-san. We have equal blame in the matter."

She folded her arms in satisfaction. "That's better." As an afterthought, "What's with the _Kamiya-san_. After I just practically pounced on you we're not even on first name basis?"

Aoshi shot her a mockingly withering look. "Fine. _Kaoru. _The important thing is that you now have a student out there, thinking less and less of you every second."

"What, so I have to go talk to him?" she snarled.

Aoshi nodded.

"Oh, so you're still telling me how to teach, is it?" Kaoru threw her hands up.

"I never stopped," Aoshi replied. He shook his head at how worked up she was able to get him. "Yes, Kaoru, I really think you should talk to Giichi-san," he replied in a more honest tone.

The fierce look faded off Kaoru's face and she slowly nodded but still didn't move. "Aoshi…?" she said after some time.

He regarded her closely, wondering what was now on her mind. "Yes, Kaoru," he replied kindly.

"You don't think…" she paused. "That this could be a danger, given what we've found out about…you know."

Aoshi was very tempted to laugh. "Seeing as I don't know what _this_ is, or what _you know_ means, probably not."

She glared at him as if to say 'don't be smart with me!' "This meaning…well, us. The thing is, I kind of don't want us to write this off as some kind of fluke or a mistake…" she trailed off and couldn't help sneaking a peek at Aoshi. Before he could bring himself to answer, she went on. "And, well, I don't know, could it be dangerous on account of…Enizu?" She stole another glance.

Fear and concern seemed to be dawning on Aoshi. "You might be right," he told her slowly. "Enizu is not only out for Kenshin's life, but everyone around him. Me, especially, because of our past. Given what's…just happened between us, you could be in more danger than before."

Kaoru watched him will solemn blue eyes. Enizu was more a threat than ever, looming over them without having to do a thing or say a word to any of them.

"Kaoru," Aoshi said sternly. "I think we need to talk to Giichi."

-

They found him outside, apart from the bustling students who were dawdling on their way out of the courtyard and back down the road.

"Giichi," Kaoru approached him quickly, commanding his attention.

He seemed distracted as he snapped his head up to look at her. "O…oh. K-Kaoru-sensei."

Kaoru peered closer at him. He was shaking, looking very nervous.

"Giichi-kun," Aoshi spoke, his voice deep. "You know what this is about, do you not?" He felt a little bad that he was intimidating the young boy so much without even trying to.

Giichi nodded, glancing from Kaoru to Aoshi.

Kaoru breathed a sigh. "Giichi, this is really important. What you saw—back there—it's _very_ important that you don't tell anyone. Understand?" She looked his straight in the eye as she said this, a maternal compassion and seriousness in her eyes. Giichi blatantly looked away.

Kaoru began to sweat a little more and exchanged a glance with Aoshi. This was not good, they said silently.

Giichi started to move past the two of them, but Kaoru grabbed his arm with authority. "Giichi," she said, clipping her vowels. "Giichi." She tugged him toward her again. "You didn't tell anyone, did you? You didn't tell anyone." Her eyes pierced through his.

Giichi struggled to get away from Kaoru's grasp, but she was too strong. He mutely nodded, admitting that he had, in fact, told someone.

Kaoru let go of him suddenly and absently wiped her forehead nervously. Aoshi gripped her shoulders, letting the tension flow from his body to hers.

"Giichi," Aoshi said, knowing Kaoru was not willing to ask. "Who did you tell?"

Giichi looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but there. He glanced from side to side, as if trying to find methods for his mistake. Finally, he resigned. "It was Momoru-kun, Shinomori-san," he bowed respectfully. "I told Momoru-kun."

And with that, Giichi dashed away. He was the first student to exit the dojo gate.

Meanwhile, Kaoru and Aoshi trekked across the courtyard to a secluded location next to the bathhouse. Neither said anything, but simply stood there.

"It'll be fine," Aoshi told Kaoru, clearing his throat. He didn't know whether or not it was true. Having a boy like Giichi know about their relationship was fine; they could have dealt with it. They could have kept him quiet, he would have been trustworthy. If only they had gotten to him sooner.

Momoru was a completely different story. He was, as Aoshi desperately wanted to shout, a stinking bastard. With the information Momoru now had, Aoshi could only guess what kind of things he would do with it. He was a clever, sly boy—no, a devious man—and Aoshi knew that if he and Kaoru made the wrong move, Momoru would figure something out. He could easily use the information against them, but they couldn't let him _know_ that.

"This is much, much worse," Kaoru muttered. She turned to look up at Aoshi. When their eyes locked, she found herself drawn in and desperately wanted to touch him, grab his hand, throw her arms around him, kiss him. She shook her head. _That's_ exactly what had gotten them into this mess. "What do we do?"

Aoshi tucked a stray lock of her raven hair behind her ear. He felt a tiny bit of guilt. Kenshin had graciously allowed Aoshi and Misao to remain at the dojo, even with the threat that posed. Now Aoshi had abused that generosity, and had put Kaoru in peril. That was what hurt Aoshi the most. The fact that his hatred for Enizu could potentially hurt the woman he cared for.

Aoshi suddenly felt a vast amount of sadness as he looked into the hopeful, trusting eyes of Kamiya Kaoru. His fingers brushed along the back of her neck loving, questioning, assuring. Kaoru closed her eyes to the sensation.

"I'll talk to him, if you want," Kaoru said suddenly. Aoshi's hand dropped and Kaoru's eyes opened again.

Aoshi shook his head, pursing his lips. "No," he said. "Don't trouble yourself. Get rest."

Before she could offer another word, Aoshi bent down and kissed her forehead. He didn't pull away immediately. Kaoru instinctively wrapped her arms around his torso, encircling him in her warmth. She leaned into him.

"Hai," Kaoru whispered, curling her fingers around the cloth of his shirt.

Aoshi, in turn, place his hands lightly on her waist, laying his cheek on the top of her head as he did so. He breathed in deeply, savoring the sweet jasmine scent that had haunted him for the past days he had spent with her.

"Don't worry," he said, and then repeated it again for his own sake.

Kaoru stood up and kissed his cheek. "If you say so," she said, walking toward the house. He didn't follow.

-

This is best. That's what Aoshi was thinking to himself as he sat alone in the Akabeko restaurant. He was thinking that it was better for him to come alone. If he _and_ Kaoru had confronted Momoru, it would have been too obvious something was up. Momoru would have been even sneakier, even more conniving because if the two of them had come, he would have seen that they were worried.

And if Aoshi had let Kaoru address the problem by herself, he knew Momoru would do nothing but act inappropriately toward her.

Aoshi swirled a single chopstick around in his bowl of hot noodles. He glanced up, and there was Momoru, sliding into the seat across from him.

"What, no food for me?" Momoru said.

Aoshi put down the chopstick. "This is not dinner."

"Right, right, this is you threatening me because I laid a hand on what you decided was 'yours.' That would be Kaoru, of course," Momoru added.

Aoshi did not show any emotion. "No," he rebutted. "This is about you keeping what you heard about Kaoru and I to yourself. You'll do that if you know what's good for you."

Momoru raised an eyebrow. This was certainly interesting. He hadn't exactly expected Aoshi to agree with his assertion outright, but asking him to keep _quiet_ about the whole ordeal? "Keep quite from who?" he asked shrewdly.

Aoshi frowned and refused to answer. "Look, do you want hush money? Is that it?"

Momoru shrugged, though he wondered whom exactly Aoshi was afraid of the information getting to. Based on their conversation so far, it wasn't something as trivial as a jealous lover.

Momoru considered Aoshi's question. "More or less, I suppose."

Aoshi methodically opened his money pouch and started counting out the coins.

Momoru leaned back casually. "You know what? My dad's actually pretty rich, and I don't want a fool's money."

Aoshi looked up and wordlessly swept the coins back into his pouch. "What _do _you want?"

"Information?" Momoru offered.

Aoshi shook his head. "There's nothing you need to know."

"What about who I shouldn't blab to? So I can make sure I won't say anything to them…" he added slyly.

Aoshi's fist crashed down on the table. "Don't say a word to _anyone_, do you understand?" Immediately after he spoke these words, he regretted them. He had basically just told Momoru how desperate he was.

Momoru let a lazy grin creep across his face. "Hm…maybe there is something else you could give me in return for my sealed lips."

Aoshi felt like he didn't dare ask what. Luckily, he didn't have to.

"Yes, yes…I see my way now. How about, in return for my silence, you grant me the pleasurable company of Kaoru for one day?" he raised his eyebrows, wondering how this suggestion would go over with the stoic man.

"No," Aoshi said, offering no embellishment.

"Maybe just the night, then?" Momoru leered.

Aoshi felt the corner of his lips twitch as he barely suppressed a growl.

"Seems to me," Momoru went on, his expression clearly showing that he wanted a rise out of Aoshi. "That you can't really give a girl like Kaoru what she wants. She's a beautiful girl, after all, and I think a guy more like…hmm…_me_ can give her what she truly needs." His eyes flashed.

If Aoshi was not so well mannered, he was sure that Momoru would have been dead on the floor long ago. "What Kaoru _needs_," he bit out. "Is none of your concern."

But Momoru would not back down. "And you're quite sure that it's _yours?_"

"We're done here," Aoshi replied coolly. "And I don't think I'll be seeing you again soon at all. Because if such an encounter were to occur, I'll find a better way to have you taken care of."

Momoru took that to mean 'stay away or you're dead.' He grinned as Aoshi got to his feet and walked away without another word. Momoru knew that on some level, he had really gotten to Aoshi. He wasn't sure what it was he had said, but the older man was definitely peeved for _some_ reason or another.

"Well, Shinomori, you don't have to worry about me getting in your way," he said to the empty seat in front of him. "Next time I want to settle this little deal, I'll go straight to Kaoru."

-

As Kaoru plowed through the stacks of dishes she suddenly and inexplicably sneezed. A few suds in front of her popped. Kaoru wiped her nose and went back to washing dishes.

She heard a shoji door shut quietly and glanced up. Aoshi stood in the dining room, looking pensive and slightly irritable.

"Hello," she greeted. "I hope you ate. We finished dinner while you were gone."

Aoshi nodded and silently left the room as quickly as he had come.

"Wait!" Kaoru called after him, tearing her apron off and running after him. "Yahiko was looking for you."

Aoshi stopped and spun around. "For me?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah. Something was bothering him and I asked him to tell me. I told him I'd pass it on to you, whatever it was. He looked like he was going to tell me, but then Misao came over and Yahiko clammed up. He just asked her to spar, instead."

Aoshi pursed his lips, deep in thought. "Has he spoken to anyone else?"

Kaoru threw up her hands and shrugged. "Maybe Kenshin, but I saw him at dinner and he seemed fine. Whatever's bothering Yahiko has got to be pretty serious."

Aoshi's forehead creased. "Why do you say that?"

Kaoru blushed; realizing it probably wasn't a good idea to have mentioned that to Aoshi. "Well…um, don't take this personally or anything, but Yahiko doesn't like talking to you so much. So, it's just an assumption, but whatever he needs to talk about has to be pretty important if he's going to spend the time to try and find _you_ to tell _you_."

Aoshi nodded in agreement. "Where's Naruku?" he asked suddenly.

"With Misao, I think," Kaoru replied, after some thought. She paused. "Um…Aoshi?"

He turned his head toward her. "Yes?"

Kaoru clasped her hands in front of her, giving off a demure impression. "Are you…all right?"

Aoshi allowed the smallest bit of a smile to light his face. "I'm fine, Kaoru. It's been a long day. Go to bed."

* * *

A/N: That last bit was the weirdest part. Now, just so you know, Momoru isn't going to be a _major_ plot thing, but he'll obviously appear again, seeing how the conflict didn't really get solved. Just so you know, at the end of this chapter when Aoshi was acting very cold and kind of aloof to Kaoru, it was because of what he said to Momoru earlier in the Akabeko. Aoshi's kind of afraid because he's acting so protective and worked up about Kaoru. He's used to being detached and getting so emotional over someone freaks him out.

**Zioncross: **_Yay! I'm glad you're starting to like alternate pairings. Especially because this chapter was devoted to one…I'm sorry:ducks: Outa's not a big part of the story now that he's in Tokyo. Hm…well, just as a hint, I'm really glad that you caught the Battousai thing. I'm not saying it's very important or anything, but…Yeah, I'm definitely not saying anything._

**Crewel: **_I know:sigh: Sano and Megumi will be back, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too. Aw, thanks, and I'm really glad you like the SM in here._

**Babygirl: **_I know, it seems unbelievable, right?_

**Cathy Mark: **_Aw, thanks. I like being called cool. I'm pretty sure, if I get your meaning, that the Tenken _has_ returned. Sorry._

**Insane Reader: **_No, I'm not nuts! Ack…! Such violent reaction to that bit with Soujiro. I should be more careful. :hires six bodyguards:_

**Some Slut: **_Thanks._

**Erica Mandarine: **_Of course I'll write more. Thanks, being called cool makes me happy. _

**One And Only: **_Aw, I hate when fanfiction does that. Thanks for taking the time to read Steps of Courage. I hope you liked this chapter. I'm really glad you like my OC. Makes me happy. Yup, I think you're the only one that caught that about Soujiro, how he refused to mention Misao. Wow, thanks for visiting my site! I'm glad you liked it. Hope this was a soon enough update for you. _

Thanks everyone, as always.

**Important: **The pairing for this chapter is Aoshi/Kaoru. Next chapter it will most likely be under **Misao/Soujiro. **Please don't loose track of it. (Pairing for next chapter is subject to change. If it does, I'll change it here and on my bio. For now, expect Misao/Soujiro.)


	12. Yahiko: Decisions of a Hero

Disclaimer: I don't really have to say it, do I?

A/N: Wow, I'm really blow away by the response for last chapter! I know I was supposed to update within ten days, but yesterday was my mom's birthday, so we have to make allowances, right? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Just as a heads up, it's fairly long and all over the place. Try and pay attention to the important stuff!

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 12_

_Yahiko: Decisions of a Hero_

_-_

**H**e should have just told them. He should have just spit it out. Last night, after receiving the shock of a lifetime, Yahiko had said nothing.

Nothing about how he had seen Soujiro talking with Enizu. _Conspiring _with Enizu. Yahiko had even run home to the dojo, ready to bust in and save the day with his knowledge.

And that was when Yahiko learned that saving the day wasn't always so easy. He had arrived at the dojo and on the front porch Misao and Naruku sat, knees curled up to their chins, chatting and talking with so little care. They were smiling and laughing, and that's why Yahiko couldn't say anything. It had nothing to do with doubt, he knew what he had seen, what he had heard. Soujiro was against them. Enizu really was in Tokyo. It was just by coincidence that the first people Yahiko had seen after getting burdened with this news were the same two people he couldn't bear to tell. And then he couldn't tell _anyone._

Yahiko sighed and started toward the dojo as boredom set in. As far as he knew, Kenshin and Naruku were down by the river training and Misao was helping to clean up the dojo. Aoshi and Kaoru…eugh, Yahiko didn't even want to know. It was bad enough to just have the _knowledge _that Kaoru was getting _that_ kind of attention from Aoshi. He really didn't need a mental picture to go along with it.

"Excuse me?" a voice broke through Yahiko's barriers of thought.

Yahiko spun around and located the source of the voice. He froze. Staring at him with a cheery smile was Soujiro. Soujiro who he had seen the day before, talking about how much he wanted Kenshin dead. Soujiro, who Yahiko couldn't confront if he wanted to remain alive. Soujiro, who was as dangerous as an errant blade.

"Is Misao here?" Soujiro asked, unaware of Yahiko's hesitation.

Unable to get a word out of his dry throat, Yahiko mutely nodded. He bit back a hundred different rude statements, fifty different accusations.

"Can you take me to her?" Soujiro asked, his smile widening.

"Sure," the word was dry and hollow sounding.

He led Soujiro through the courtyard toward the drill hall. What else could he do?

_Well for starters, he could have said Misao was gone._

Yahiko closed his eyes in anger and frustration. He _definitely_ should have told someone.

-

As soon as Yahiko and Soujiro entered the drill hall, Misao looked up. She did not jump to her feet right away, nor did she call out to Soujiro. Instead they found her backed into a corner of the drill hall, looking fearful and upset.

"Misao?" Yahiko ventured.

Shaking, Misao bit her thumb and gestured to the floor in front of her. "C-c-c…"

Yahiko shook his head. The girl couldn't even get a word out. Had she noticed Soujiro? Was _that_ why? Was she still so upset over what Soujiro had done…would she not speak to him? Was she tucked into a fearful cocoon because of him?

"CATERPILLAR!" Misao screamed at the top of her lungs.

Yahiko couldn't really do anything but fall over in exasperation. He should have known that Misao wasn't as deep as all that. Nope, the weasel girl was worked up because of some furry green bug in front of her.

Soujiro flew forward, unsheathing his sword as he did so. He was in the air, sword glinting in his hand as he rained down upon Misao.

Yahiko was astonished. "Soujiro—_no!_"

It took a few moments to register that Soujiro had not sliced Misao in half like Yahiko had originally thought. Instead he was kneeling in front of Misao, scooping the ferocious caterpillar beast onto the flat of his sword. As soon as he had stood up again, caterpillar riding safely, albeit perplexed, to be dropped outdoors.

Cautiously, Misao crept forward on her hands and knees. "I-is…" she began in a shaky voice.

In the doorway, Soujiro smiled and waved. "It's all clear Misao-chan!" he sang.

Misao dared to crawl even further. Then, suddenly she stopped as if a rock had suddenly hit her in the head and given her the secrets to the universe. She scrambled to her feet, tripping over herself as she ran toward Soujiro and launched herself onto him. From there ensued much laughter, tackling, hugging, swatting, rolling and even a kiss that Yahiko failed to overlook.

The young boy turned away from the happily reunited couple towards the doorway again. He shielded his eyes from the sun's orange glow, the kind of blinding sunlight that came just before sunset. Yahiko looked down on the ground and for a fleeting second saw a small green bug crawl underneath a rock.

"He didn't even kill it…"

-

It was hours later and just after dinner that Sano showed up. And that was surprising in itself. Sanosuke, showing up not _before_ a meal, not _during_ a meal, but after it? And he had even failed to show up in time to eat one of the delicious almond pastries that Soujiro had brought.

If Yahiko hadn't been there, he never would have believed it. However, when Sano arrived, Yahiko welcomed the distraction from Misao and Soujiro's laughing and displays of affection, which only make Yahiko feel exceedingly guilty. As a matter of fact, Aoshi didn't seem too fond of the way Misao was interacting with Soujiro. To say he was jealous would be quickly proven false, but Yahiko could see that Aoshi was suspicious of Soujiro…and for that Yahiko was glad.

"Hey everyone," Sano called out as he strode purposefully across the courtyard to where the Kenshin-gumi sat, enjoying the faint chirping crickets and fading daylight.

"Sanosuke," Kaoru said, surprised. "I haven't seen you in a few days."

"Yeah, well, I'm here for a reason," Sano replied.

That was the other surprising thing. Sano was there to talk, to _do_ something…whatever it was, it was very serious. He knelt down by Kenshin.

"Listen up, guys, Megumi sent me here to tell you," he began in a low voice. "She _saw_ Enizu. He was in the marketplace yesterday."

Everyone snapped to attention. Yahiko was slowly working out this new information in his head. Megumi had seen Enizu on the very same day Soujiro had spoken with him. Joined sides with him. Had Megumi seen Soujiro there as well?

"Did she speak to him?" Aoshi asked quickly.

Sano grimaced, annoyed that Aoshi didn't seem particularly concerned with Megumi's well-being. "Yes," he said matter-of-factly. "She did."

Aoshi's expression darkened. "Well, why?"

"Maybe because Enizu was practically assaulting her right then and there!" he replied waspishly. As soon as he had said it, he regretted it.

Kaoru gasped. "Megumi-san!" she cried, fighting tears back.

Awkwardly, Yahiko moved forward to comfort her, inexplicably glaring at everyone else. "Kaoru, she's fine…"

Sano leaned forward again. "I don't know a lot about what happened, but I promise you Megumi didn't _say_ anything. Nothing about you or Misao," he said to Aoshi, and then turned to address the whole group. "But she did give him reason to believe that Naruku is here." Sano looked around carefully. "I don't know if he knew that before or not, but…"

Yahiko caught Kenshin's gaze flicker toward Naruku. She seemed to be taking the news about the same as everyone else.

"Enizu threatened Megumi. He threatened to kill Kenshin and myself, as well," Sano went on.

At those words, Kaoru let out a loud moan of anguish. Yahiko found himself being pushed away from his sensei as Aoshi wrapped an arm around her in comfort.

"As far as—"

"Wait just a second," Soujiro's cheery voice piped. "Just who _is_ this Enizu person?"

"An enemy," Yahiko replied coolly, before anyone could get in a word.

Misao turned around in Soujiro's lap to face him. "You remember, ne? I told you about him before. He's the one who came to the dojo, befriended everyone and then tried to kill Kenshin."

Soujiro chuckled sheepishly and Yahiko gritted his teeth. "Ano…I guess I forgot what it was you said to me, Misao-chan. Now I do recall you saying something about Enizu. But didn't you say you hadn't heard from him in months?"

Misao nodded. "Yeah. Sano just recently brought news of Enizu rising to power again, and now, well…this."

Aoshi cleared his throat carefully. "Can we get back to the subject on hand?"

Sano nodded. "Right. So obviously Enizu means to get back at every single one of us. He still doesn't know about Aoshi and Misao. Or Soujiro," he added as an afterthought.

Yahiko resisted a strong urge to say something. Why didn't he say anything? The words would not reach his lips. _Actually, he's quite aware of Soujiro-san, isn't that right?_ But he couldn't. Not with Misao sitting in the culprit's lap, Soujiro twisting a strand of her hair around his finger. Not with Naruku sitting right there.

But then there was Kenshin, and Yahiko felt like the older man's eyes were boring into him. _Say something before it's too late._

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin spoke. "I think it may be a good idea to cancel your kendo classes until this whole matter is resolved."

Kaoru gasped. "But—why? None of the students pose a threat and—"

"I really don't think we should be involving anyone else in this. No more trips to the Akabeko. We should buy groceries tomorrow that will last us until the end of this. Make sure that Megumi is very safe around the clinic and that—"

"What, so we're just going to barricade ourselves here?" Kaoru demanded hotly.

Kenshin nodded gravely. "I'm sorry Kaoru-dono, but we must take precautions."

She gritted her teeth and balled up her fists, but then relaxed. "I…" she sighed. "I know that. It just seems so…unfair!"

Aoshi put his hands on her shoulders lightly. "Relax, Kaoru, we'll get through this."

She nodded again and the two of them stood up, followed by Soujiro, Misao and Yahiko who stretched and started toward the house.

Kenshin turned to Naruku who had been very quiet the whole time. "Naruku-dono, you—"

She flashed a brief smile. "I know, Kenshin. I'll stay in the dojo as much as I can, like a good little girl. I'll stay out of trouble and—"

"That's not what I was going to say," Kenshin cut her off. He leaned nearer to her. "Naruku-dono, keep Akeri-san's dagger close by you."

She froze. "I…" she gaped, staring off vacantly.

"I want you to be careful," he replied. "But there may come a time where that will not be enough. I want you to have something you can defend yourself with."

Kenshin stood up before she could say anything more.

"Aoshi, Sano, Soujiro," he beckoned for the three of them. Thinking a moment, he added, "Yahiko."

The four men redirected themselves toward Kenshin while the girls took off.

"What is it, Kenshin?" Sano asked.

"I want us to start keeping watch in the nighttime," Kenshin replied. Aoshi nodded in approval, Soujiro looked curious and Yahiko looked thrilled.

"Yahiko, you'll have the first shift," he directed.

It took a lot of strength for Yahiko to not jump up and cheer.

"Himura," Aoshi moved forward. "Is it really a good idea to keep this a secret from Kamiya-san and the other girls?"

Kenshin looked at Aoshi quizzically. "I never said that. Tell them when you want, but try not to worry them, Kaoru-dono especially."

The other four men nodded.

"I'll take the next shift after Yahiko," Sano volunteered.

Kenshin nodded. "I'll take the one after that. Aoshi, you can have the next one and Soujiro, the last shift."

They nodded and split off in different directions.

Aoshi walked side-by-side with Kenshin. "A few nights ago I offered this protection. You said you had no fears for that night."

"I do now," Kenshin replied simply, turning into his bedroom. Aoshi stood there a second longer before continuing on his way.

­-

Yahiko had not expected anything to happen during his shift. That's why Kenshin had given it to him, Yahiko figured.

But late into his shift, Yahiko spotted Naruku stepping outside the house, shutting the door quietly behind her. He surveyed the patio, wondering where Naruku was going at that time of night. He expected her to acknowledge him and move on, but instead she sat down right at his feet, saying nothing.

"What are you doing up?" Yahiko wanted to know.

Naruku seemed to be stretching and didn't answer at once. "I'm more interested in why you're up," she replied, yawning.

Yahiko couldn't help but tell her. "Kenshin asked me to stand guard," he replied boastfully.

"That doesn't make me as worried as it would have two nights ago," Naruku answered. Her voice sounded sad and wistful.

Yahiko's expression softened. "Why _are_ you up? Couldn't sleep?"

Naruku yawned again and this time turned to look at him. "Not exactly," she said. "I'm just thinking about the old times." She turned back to face the dark, empty courtyard.

Yahiko was momentarily startled. The tone of her voice was the one she used when she spoke to Kenshin. Soft, peaceful and completely carefree. She sounded like she was talking to someone with twice Yahiko's maturity.

"Remember when I first came to the dojo?" she went on, starting to laugh. "I was trying to act serious and aloof all the time. Truth is, I was trying not to rely on any of you."

Yahiko was silent, waiting for her to continue.

"Now I'm glad that I can," she said, a smile manifesting itself in her voice.

For some reason, Yahiko felt strangely relieved and proud at the same time. He couldn't think of anything to say, however, so he stayed quiet, knowing Naruku probably preferred the silence to words he didn't mean.

"My shift is over," he announced after a while. "I'm going in to bed."

Naruku nodded as he began to walk away. "I think I'll stay out here a little longer."

Yahiko nodded to himself, entering the house and shutting the door just as Naruku began to hum a few notes. He passed Kenshin in the hall, and knew it was his chance.

"Kenshin," Yahiko said quietly, not wanting to alert anyone else who might've been awake.

"Going to bed, Yahiko?" Kenshin asked.

Yahiko nodded quickly. "But before I do—listen."

Kenshin nodded and came closer to the younger boy. "What is it, Yahiko?"

"I—I think Soujiro might have something to do with Enizu," Yahiko replied in a rush. He shook his head. "No—No, I _know_ that he does. I heard them! He wants you dead, Kenshin."

Yahiko was worried when Kenshin didn't say anything and just stood there, an odd look on his face.

Yahiko blanched, as though he had said something wrong. A new thought arose, one that he had not even considered before. Should he have stayed quiet? Was it wrong to say that?

"Thank you, Yahiko," Kenshin said quietly. "Go to bed now."

The flat seriousness of his voice scared Yahiko, so he immediately did as he was told.

Kenshin stood in the hallways a second or two longer before slowly making his way out onto the patio. He was only moderately surprised to see Naruku sitting there, fidgeting with the strings on her belt.

"Good evening, Kenshin," she greeted.

"Are you all right, Naruku?" Kenshin asked quietly, coming to sit next to her.

She did not move away, nor did she turn so he could not see her. "I'm all right," she replied. "I've been better. I've most definitely been worse."

"You were very quiet today when Sanosuke told us what happened to Megumi-dono," Kenshin remarked. "Were you scared?"

"No," she replied, and he was surprised. It was not like her to hide fear. Did she really have none? "I think I'm over that. I feel disgusted, angry, very betrayed and even guilty. But I can't feel fear for him anymore." Then in a dark whisper, she added, "He can't scare me."

Kenshin moved closer.

"And what about you?" she asked, turned toward him. "You usually have a lot to say when that kind of thing happens. But this time you didn't. You let Aoshi take charge of the situation."

"It's because I trust Aoshi," he replied.

Naruku furrowed her brow, trying to figure this out. She bit the inside of her lip uncertainly. Finally, she cast her cavernous green eyes on him. "Does that mean you don't trust yourself?"

"I suppose so," Kenshin replied. "It's upsetting. I've never…felt that way about someone before."

"About Aoshi?" she asked, her voice taking on a jokingly skeptical tone.

"About Enizu," he said fiercely.

"Don't do that," she said forcefully. "Don't—say his name. Please…don't say his name like that."

"Like what?" Kenshin asked, turning speculative violet orbs onto Naruku's face, outlined in pastel moonlight.

"Like you want to kill him," Naruku replied, her eyes darkening, her breaths growing weighty and her heart pounding inside the walls of her head.

Kenshin turned his face up to the stars and put his hand on Naruku's knee. "I'm sorry," he affirmed. His tone was not apologetic, but as if he were stating a fact.

Naruku was quiet for a moment or two, and Kenshin wondered how troubled she really was. "How _do _you feel about him?" she asked at last.

"Hatred," Kenshin replied. "It does scare me, because I never _have_ felt this way before. Shishio was strictly business, though there was definite dislike in him as a person and his ethics. Saitou was just an old grudge. I certainly don't like him, but I do respect him. The closest thing I can think of is how I felt about Jinei." He paused. "Did I tell you about him?"

Naruku shook her head. "Sano told me. He kidnapped Kaoru-chan, right?"

Kenshin nodded. "I wasn't just angry. I was bloodthirsty. But with Enizu it's different…I…don't know what about him makes me loathe him like this. Jinei had done something to me, and to Kaoru-dono, and all I wanted was for him to pay. Enizu owes me no debts, nothing."

He didn't continue, but Naruku didn't feel like it was the end, either. "Are you going to say more?" she asked.

"No, though perhaps I could say something you might want to hear," Kenshin replied self-depreciatingly. He turned to her with a smile. "Good night Naruku."

She nodded and stood up, leaving him on the porch with the doubts and worries that were not his alone.

-

The day after the Kenshin-gumi had gone into lockdown, Kaoru found herself having to break the news to her class. Every single student had shown up.

"Listen up, everyone," Kaoru said to the young teens. "Class is going to be cancelled until further notice. Please _respect_ the decisions of this dojo and its assistant master."

Aoshi's hand on her back was one of the only things that stopped Kaoru from throwing herself to the floor and begging the students to stay. That, her own self-dignity and Momoru's leering face amongst the sea of disappointed expressions. Kaoru pointedly did not look at him.

She had been debating this issue with herself, though would not allow her brain to dwell on it for more than five minutes. They had more important problems, Kaoru had reminded herself. Real dangers.

But Momoru _was_ a problem, and Kaoru couldn't help that.

"You did good," Aoshi said to Kaoru as they walked away from the disgruntled and bewildered students who slowly made there way back down the road.

Kaoru breathed in. Aoshi's words were comforting.

On the second day of dojo lockdown, only one student showed up. Aoshi greeted him at the gate.

"Momoru," he practically growled. He couldn't help it if the young man ticked him off so badly. He was a sly, cocky little scumbag who didn't seem to mind disrespecting the one woman who tried so hard to teach him and everyone else the way of the sword. The one woman that Aoshi himself had so much respect for, though loath he was to admit it.

"Shinomori-san," Momoru replied smoothly. "How pleasant to see you. Unfortunately, I'm here to speak to Kaoru."

Without second thought, Aoshi slammed Momoru against the gate. "Kaoru-_sensei_," Aoshi snarled into Momoru's face.

For a split second, the younger man looked afraid, but then his face resumed its sly, condescending expression.

Disgusted, Aoshi grabbed him by the front of the shirt and shoved him away. "What are you really here for?"

Momoru grinned. "Just a nice little chat with Kaoru."

"She's out," Aoshi replied at once, not wanting to tell the truth and say Kaoru was in the bath. That was the last thing he wanted Momoru to be thinking about.

"Really?" Momoru looked utterly surprised. "And you're allowing her out…on her own?"

"Kaoru can take care of herself," Aoshi replied.

Momoru stepped closer. "Really? Even when you're under crisis, trying to hide from an _enemy?_" he inquired.

Aoshi took a step back, his face betraying nothing.

"So tell me…where is Kaoru…_really?_"

Aoshi pushed Momoru forcefully away. "It is not your business."

Momoru chuckled. "Very well. Then I'd like to ask you to give this to her. From me."

He held out a neatly folded slip of paper.

Aoshi snatched it from Momoru's hands. A big part of him wanted to rip it to shreds, but he knew it was unfair to Kaoru. And Aoshi's own integrity wouldn't allow him to read the note before it reached Kaoru.

"Can I trust you with this _very_ important paper?" Momoru said mockingly.

Aoshi didn't answer, but took the paper.

"I know a respectable man like yourself won't read it," Momoru said jeeringly. "Send Kaoru my love, and tell her I can't wait to—"

With quiet precision, Aoshi had Momoru's left arm twisted around his back in less than two seconds. "You probably don't want to finish that sentence," Aoshi advised.

Glaring, Momoru struggled out of Aoshi's iron grasp. Aoshi relented and let go. "Be on your way," he said, picking up the 'important note', which had fallen to the ground.

Looking at it curiously, he walked across the courtyard and up the steps of the patio, making sure that Momoru was walking quickly away in the opposite direction.

Aoshi fingered the note as he reached the door and stepped inside the house. He should probably screen it, in case there was any perverse language that Kaoru should not be exposed to. Or in case it was a threat or blackmail. Anything that would offend her.

As he was muddling silently over this, Kaoru walked right up to him.

"Aoshi," she said flippantly, grinning up at him.

He was momentarily distracted from his conundrum at the site of Kaoru. She was dressed in a simple kimono of a light green and yellow color. Her eyes seemed darker, steamier thank usual and her hair hung loose around her face, still wet from her recent bath.

"Kaoru," he regarded her carefully, not wanting his personal feelings and desire to show up uninvited again.

"What's that?" Kaoru asked in a very light-hearted manner. Her eyes flickered to the paper in Aoshi's hands.

"It's a note that Momoru asked me to give to you," Aoshi replied.

"Momoru was here?" Kaoru asked. Her tone sounded purely curious.

"Yes. And he asked me to give this to you," Aoshi repeated.

Kaoru bobbed her head and took the note from him. She flipped it over, ready to unfold it but then stopped. "Aoshi," she said, slowly raising her eyes to meet his. "This isn't for me."

Aoshi looked baffled. He didn't say anything, knowing that Kaoru would soon answer his unspoken question.

"It's for Naruku," Kaoru said slowly, looking down at the paper again as if to make sure.

Now Aoshi was just plain confused. He looked down at the paper and found that there were perfectly scripted characters that spelled out not Kaoru, but Naruku. What could Momoru possibly want from _her?_

Before he could even begin to formulate a theory, Kaoru was yelling, "Naruku! Can you come over here for a—"

"What are you doing?" Aoshi asked in a low whisper.

"What do you think? I'm telling Naruku that Momoru brought a note for her!" Kaoru replied with exasperation.

"Does she really need to know?"

"She has a right to!" Kaoru shot back.

Aoshi grunted and rubbed the back of his neck. Before either could say anything more on the matter, Naruku had found her way over to them.

"What is it?" she asked, and both Kaoru and Aoshi noticed the presence of an apron and a spatula in her hand. Her eyes fell to the note and she voiced the same question that Kaoru had just moments before.

"It's for you," was Aoshi's quiet reply.

Naruku gingerly took the note and opened it. She read the contents quickly; there must not have been a lot written there. When she was done, she folded the paper down, raising her eyes to look at the anxious faces of Kaoru and Aoshi.

"It's from Enizu," Naruku spoke listlessly. She felt oddly nauseas and dizzy. "He…"

Aoshi's eyes flashed and Kaoru seemed to be going into shock. Momoru had contact with Enizu. He had figured out how to blackmail them.

"He wants to meet with me," Naruku finished in the same empty tone. "Enizu wants to…"

Kaoru surged forward, grabbing hold of Naruku's shoulders. She didn't need to hear it again. "You're not going to, are you?" she asked in a piercing tone.

Naruku's eyes couldn't seem to focus. She shook her head and stepped away from Kaoru. "I might have to."

* * *

A/N: I know, not as much Misao/Soujiro as we all would have hoped. The reason that their reunion scene wasn't very glorious is because it's told from Yahiko's point of view. And _that_ was because I can't keep having these wonderful reunions or else it'll lose its meaning. Anyway, stuff is definitely starting to happen. Next chapter should be very exciting! 

I want to say again how utterly shocked at how phenomenal the response to last chapter was. I can only hope I'll get a similar one this chapter. You guys have been great, truly.

**Zioncross: **_Wow, you're really reading into the Kaoru thing. She _is _having a really tough time, no matter how hard she tries to pretend she's not because more important things are happening. I do find it kinda weird that you compared Shishio to Kaoru. I think you might be the first person to ever do that. If you ask me, Kaoru should ban Momoru from the dojo, like what happened with Gohei. I feel really bad because I had to make her lessons go on hiatus. Thank you for always being so helpful and flattering and we _will_ get that fanfiction up and running soon!_

**Insane Reader: **_I'm glad! (Please don't eat my chapters! Haha…) Of course I'll continue! You didn't have to chase off my bodyguards though, did you?_

**Chibi Assassin, "Oro" Object, Chibi-Flamer, Leona Westley, Random Person: **_Thank you very much! I'm glad to know that I'm a favorite with you! I'll try and be quick with updates_

**Love in War: **_A lot of people are starting to like Aoshi/Kaoru. I'm glad you liked last chapter. And no, Soujiro isn't exactly brainwashed. Sorry!_

**Himura Kaoru: **_Judging by your penname, you don't seem to be the type of person who would enjoy this fic, but I'm very glad that you do!_

**One and Only: **_Momoru is a creep! I'm surprised that you think Aoshi was hard on Kaoru…I guess he kind of was! I'm sorry that there wasn't a lot of Misao/Soujiro in this chapter…I thought there was going to be a lot more! I hope you liked Naruku and Kenshin in this chapter. I'm glad you think I'm really smart. So flattered…_

**Noname: **_My pleasure! Haha…but I can't right now. _

**Seta Misao: **_Hm…good thing no one has told Misao anything, right? I'm really glad that you're liking the Aoshi/Kaoru pairing. It's awesome, huh?_

**Iaaaoh-chan: **_Thank you, and you're welcome!_

**Erica Mandarine: **_Thanks! I hope you feel the same way about this one. Yup, that's pretty important. It's going to be a little while before Misao finds out. No one has the heart to tell her!_

**Sou/Mi's Angel: **_I guess I really improved a lot, right? Not for a little while. They say crisis brings people together, but I don't think Naruku and Kenshin are about to confess their love for each other under the circumstances. I'm glad you like all the pairings!_

**Some Fan: **_I'm glad that you randomly found this fanfiction…haha, it makes me happy that you decided to read it. I hope it's pretty understandable without reading the first four. I hope so, I worked very hard on this one and even _I _like it the best. I'm sorry; it's really hard for me to pick one pairing because it's not centered on just one. I hope you don't have too hard of a time trying to find it. It'll either be in Sano/Megumi, Aoshi/Kaoru or Soujiro/Misao, since fanfiction does not have an "original pairing" option._

**Kha'nh: **_I'll be updating every 8-11 days. I would be happy to notify you if you'd leave your e-mail address!_

Again, thank you everyone, you really motivate me to write quickly. You make me love this story so much! This fanfiction has the record of reviews for me, even more than _Steps of Courage_, which has almost twice as many chapters! I love getting reviews of all types and I hope you'll keep sending them my way. Really grateful, everyone.

**Important: **This chapter was **Misao/Soujiro. **Next chapter, which _was_ undecided, is going to be **Aoshi/Kaoru. **Just so I don't feel so guilty again, it won't be exactly CENTERED on these two, since some very important events are going to happen elsewhere, but there will definately be substantial Aoshi/Kaoru.


	13. Kaoru: Hardships of a Woman

Disclaimer: Behold! The disclaimer. We laugh at how he looks to us. And yet, in moments dank and grim, I wonder how we look to him. Peace, peace thou disclaimer! -Ogden Nash. (except, hippopotamus instead of "disclaimer")

A/N: I'm really mad because I had to divide this into two chapters. The second half of this chapter has become chapter fourteen. Oh well, I guess it's better this way. :sigh: still. It's really annoying!

Oh, yeah, and I lied about a few things last chapter. This _is_ completely centered on Kaoru and Aoshi (Kaoru, at least.) Because those "other important events" I had to save for next chapter. :cries: This always happens with Kaoru! I always think that her part is just going to be a small portion of the chapter but then I get carried away with whatever and it takes up the entire chapter! Aw, well.

Anyway, since I am way ahead with the next chapter and everything, I decided to update this rather quickly.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 13_

_Kaoru: Hardships of a Woman _

_-_

**H**eey—wait, that's not fair!" Naruku squeaked as Aoshi shoved her into her room.

"I'm sorry Koneko, but we all agreed. We can't have you looking for Enizu. Not now," Sano replied from the doorway.

Aoshi released Naruku once she was safely inside the room. Suddenly ridiculously unbalanced, Naruku hopped on one foot to stay centered. She rubbed her arm and glared back at Aoshi. "Jeez. You don't need to manhandle me."

"Sorry," he replied gruffly.

She didn't reply, but instead charged at the door, hoping by some strain of luck to get past Aoshi. Not a chance. Quickly seeing what she was up to, Aoshi seized her wrists and brought them together behind her back, as if handcuffing her. Even Sano helped herd her back into her room.

Angry and discouraged, Naruku hung her head and allowed them to lead her inside. She cast one desperate glance at Kenshin, who stood in the doorway, his lips pursed.

"I'm sorry Naruku-dono," he said. "This is best."

Naruku ducked her head, not wanting to look at him anymore. "I'm really upset that you guys won't trust me." She moved over to close the door, shutting Aoshi, Kaoru, Sano and Kenshin out.

Kenshin's foot slid in the way of the door. He nudged it back open just enough so Naruku could see his face. "Naruku-dono. I _am_ willing to trust you. If you'll tell us, promise us that you won't go looking for Enizu, I will trust your word."

Naruku's lips twitched into a lopsided smile. "I'd really like to lie. I'd really like to say yes, you can trust me, I won't go looking for him. But I can't because…because I will go looking for him."

Kenshin nodded and turned on his heel, his foot vacating the spot where it had blocked the door.

He didn't bother closing the door, Naruku noticed. There was still a small gap where it remained open. But she knew on the other side was Aoshi or Sano. Even Yahiko or maybe Soujiro. Just standing guard. But not guarding from intruders, but rather guarding to make sure Naruku didn't get _out_.

She walked over and shut the door herself before collapsing on the floor in a heap. She didn't have the energy to cry, so instead she just sat there, legs folded underneath her and arms lolling uselessly at her sides. She let out a sigh. She recognized her defeat. She'd be rightfully trounced, and she knew it.

"Why?" a muffled voice asked.

Naruku jumped. She peered at the door. She'd been right. There _was_ someone on the other side, guarding her room. It was Kenshin.

She scooted closer to the closed door. She could barely make out his silhouette. He was facing away from her, leaning on the door.

She did the same, resting her head on the rice paper right next to where Kenshin's leg was on the other side. "Why what?" she said.

"Why can't you promise not to leave?" Kenshin asked. He sounded like it was hard for him to get words out. "Why can't you promise not to go looking for him?"

Naruku closed her eyes, feeling her lashes brush against the rice paper door. It suddenly occurred to her that Kenshin hadn't said Enizu's name once since she asked him not to.

"Because," Naruku replied in a clear voice, so Kenshin could hear. "Even though I know it's probably a trap, there's a part of me that really thinks I can go and end this. It torments me everyday, knowing how many more people I've dragged into this mess. How many people Enizu can't wait to see dead just because they know me. If there's a chance to stop it, even a glimmer of something close to it, I'll take it." She trailed her hand across the door.

Kenshin was silent for a few moments. "And—why did you make your intentions clear to us, even knowing that we wouldn't allow it at any cost?"

Naruku's eyes flickered open. "Because I can't bear to lie to you. Do you remember what it was like when Enizu first came here?"

"Yes," was Kenshin's swift reply.

"I was in agony every day, knowing that I was revealing more to him. Knowing that I hadn't said anything to prevent his attack when I _knew_ it was coming. I just—I can't bear to hide things anymore. I'd make a mess of it, if I haven't already just by telling the truth."

"You haven't," Kenshin replied comfortingly.

Naruku hung her head. "I don't know."

After that, neither said anything. Naruku knew she couldn't feel angry at Kenshin for standing there, keeping her in her room. She felt somewhat comforted knowing that he was just on the other side of the wall and neither of them had to say anything to feel together.

It was even comforting knowing that Kenshin would do anything to save her, even if it meant keeping her from carrying out her own goals.

-

The absence of her hair ribbon is what tipped Aoshi off. She had on a long haori coat and in her cross-legged position it was hard to tell what was underneath, but Aoshi had suspicion that it was a pair of hakama pants.

"Kaoru," he said carefully to her. "In the interest of conversation, what is it you're doing today?"

Kaoru lowered her bowl of hot miso and blinked at Aoshi. "I thought I might try and take a walk today, just for some fresh air."

"Kaoru-dono—"

"I realize that we're supposed to be careful, but I just want to get out of the house for a little while," Kaoru said to Kenshin's unspoken precaution.

Aoshi nodded, trying to figure out where Kaoru was headed.

"And I won't visit any of our _friends_," she added nervously. "I'll just be…looking around."

Aoshi blinked. She didn't specifically say she'd be alone. Was he right to be suspicious? Was she meeting with someone? He glanced at her once again as she took a sip of tea. No hair ribbon. Definitely a pair of hakama pants peeking out from underneath her haori coat. Aoshi shifted his position slightly. Where her shirt scooped down slightly in front, Aoshi could see a sliver of the gauze material she used for breast bindings. Kaoru was _definitely _preparing for a fight.

He shifted again and noticed the presence of wood in Kaoru's hand. _And_ she was packing.

Kaoru was suddenly all too aware of Aoshi's eyes on her. "Uh, well, I better get going. Want to be back in time for lunch and everything." She got to her feet and started out of the dining room.

Misao quickly jumped after her.

Once they were safely into the hallway, Misao grabbed Kaoru's arm and tugged her down to her level. "Was Aoshi just checking you out?" Misao asked in a loud whisper.

"Eh?" Kaoru replied awkwardly. "Um, I don't think so Misao-chan. Enjoy the rest of breakfast!" With that, she was zipping away, leaving Misao puzzled in the doorway.

-

Maybe the bokken was for 'just in case,' Kaoru thought. When she had taken to bokken with her earlier that day, she hadn't really thought about it. Just a second-nature thing. Going out? Why not take a bokken? Now even more so, with the threat of Enizu looming just behind every corner. Not, of course, that Kaoru was scared.

More…worried.

Kaoru felt bad about lying to everyone, but then she reminded herself that she hadn't _technically_ lied. She said she wouldn't go see any of their friends. Momoru definitely was not in that category of people. But Kaoru couldn't get away from he guilt with small loopholes like that. An oblique lie is a lie all the same.

But Kaoru _did_ feel bad for saying she'd be back by lunch. That didn't seem particularly possible at the moment. It was already past midday and Kaoru didn't even know where to start looking for Momoru.

"Let's see," she murmured to herself, ignoring the hustle and bustle of the marketplace around her. "If I'm a cocky, smart-ass sleaze ball, where do I go in the middle of the day? Gambling? Eating? …Whoring?"

"You know I could never _pay_ someone to take your place, Kaoru-chan."

Kaoru whirled and was very close to saying to hell with her plan and just knocking Momoru's lights out. "Fancy seeing you here," she snarled at him.

"Kaoru, Kaoru," Momoru chuckled. "Why don't we find a more private place to talk, hmm?"

Kaoru, grudgingly, followed as he led her off the side of the road. When he tried to steer her by her arm, however, she viperously smacked him away. "Don't get cozy with me."

Momoru grinned but backed off all the same. Neither spoke as they walked, but Kaoru was quietly calculating in her head. What could Momoru be thinking about? Was he going over a recent meeting with Enizu? Was he trying to think of ways to get Kaoru on his side? Like that would ever happen! Or…

Kaoru shot a glance at him and grimaced. By the look on his face, he was probably planning how to get Kaoru in bed with him. The thought was enough to make Kaoru unsheathe her bokken and send a solid bust to the head.

Unfortunately, Momoru was stronger than he let on and caught the sword without even looking back at her.

"We're here," he said calmly.

'Here' meant the place where they were going to talk. 'Here' also meant a broken down old bar. Or was it a gambling hall?

Kaoru tugged her bokken back and sheathed it again as they entered. She stepped warily behind Momoru, who seemed to know his was around very well.

There were very few people. The bartender, methodically cleaning cups, and several customers, all passed out or too drunk to utter anything close to comprehensible. Then there was a man in the corner who seemed to be just relaxing with a cup of sake. Momoru gave a small salute of greeting to each of these men, none of which was responded to.

Kaoru was getting more creeped out (not to mention _grossed _out) as they walked further and further into the bar. She could hear _flies_ buzzing around, and as soon as they had stepped in she could practically feel the air getting heavier and more sluggish. Though it wasn't a sunny day outside, it was even dimmer inside. There was only one window that cast a pale ghost of light across the table that a drunken man sat at.

Kaoru delicately sniffed the air. It stank of alcohol and putrid vomit. She tried not to retch as Momoru led her across the entire room (which wasn't all too big) and opened a wooden door without thought.

She balked when she realized that behind the door was a staircase. Unconcerned, Momoru grabbed a lantern off a shelf that seemed to be sheathed in darkness. While Momoru lit it, Kaoru glanced around, wondering if she should just make a break for it.

But she had come that far. And she had already found him.

He led her down the stairs, and Kaoru noted how rickety and unreliable they seemed to be. Once they were at the landing, Momoru set the lantern down on an old table. Judging by the shadows, the room wasn't bit and it was furnished very sparsely. It was even darker in the cellar (that's where Kaoru supposed they were) than it had been on the ground level. She shivered again. It may have been musty and dank, but on the bright side it didn't stink quite so much in the cellar as it did up above.

"So what?" she broke the chilling silence, mostly because she wanted to get out of there as soon as she could. "Why'd you drag me down here?"

"You were the one who was looking for me," Momoru shot back with a taunting smirk on his face.

"Obviously I wasn't the only one looking. Don't tell me you just happened to be strolling past," she said warningly. A look of disgust came to her face. "You were probably following me since I left the dojo this morning!" she cried out accusingly.

"Not quite _that_ early on," Momoru replied, laughing.

Kaoru's whole expression tightened, and she looked like she'd very much enjoy smacking him across the face. For the sake of brevity, she abstained. "No more of this petty squabbling. I think you know why I'm here."

Before he could make some lewd comment, Kaoru continued. "I want to know exactly _where_ you got that note," she said flatly.

"Why, Kaoru, what are you talking about?" Momoru asked in an innocent voice.

She shot him a look of pure venom. "Don't toy with me, you bastard!"

"Language, my darling," Momoru said admonishingly.

"Are you in contact with Enizu or not?" Kaoru replied fiercely. She wanted to get down to business, but Momoru was making it increasingly difficult.

"Sorry honey, that's not something that I'll tell you for free," Momoru replied contemptuously.

"Don't put a price on information that I'm just going to force out of you," Kaoru told him, rolling her eyes.

"Force out of me how?" he sounded amused, and Kaoru knew at once why. Especially since Momoru moved forward swiftly and snaked an arm around her. Before he could get very far with this move, Kaoru took action.

With a resounding smack, Kaoru took down the offending arm. Had she been using a real sword, Momoru would forever have but one hand.

He stepped away again and shook out his hand, noticing how very quickly it welted up with red. "Maybe I know this Enizu person, and maybe I don't."

"If I wanted _that_ answer I wouldn't have come at all!" Kaoru said shrilly. "So which is it?"

"How 'bout you spend the day with me and find out from there?" Momoru suggested. "I can be very nice."

"Save it," Kaoru said harshly. "How 'bout you tell me," she mocked him. "And then I won't beat your brains out…_too_ badly," she added with a sneer.

Momoru chuckled. "I'm sure you've heard that you're cute when you're mad," he said, coming nearer. His next words he said in a low whisper. "But has anyone told you it's very…arousing when you yell?"

His breath floated toward her. She was strongly reminded of how it had smelled upstairs in the bar. Her eyes watered. She never felt so violated in her life. Not just the stench or the feeling of his fingers creeping up her arm, but also every word he spoke to her. It was beyond clear that he didn't respect her in any way, not even the respect a young man has for a beautiful woman. No. Momoru was, to put it bluntly, the most disgusting person she had ever met in her life.

And that included Gohei, Jinei, _Enizu _and a number of other ill-famed men that Kaoru had the displeasure of meeting. Momoru topped them all with a revolting flourish.

"Kaoru…" he said in a singsong voice, grinning at the way she unconsciously shied away from him.

Kaoru's eyes widened as she realized how physically threatening her predicament was. He completely had the upper hand and Kaoru needed to hold her ground.

She lunged forward, hoping to catch Momoru in the gut with her fist. He caught her attack easily and when she swung her other arm up towards his face he caught that one too. He flexed and tightened each of his hands on each of her wrists.

Kaoru was absolutely defenseless. She could only wait for Momoru's next move.

-

Aoshi seemed completely unconcerned about Kaoru's whereabouts. He sat cross-legged on the porch, folding the laundry with methodic precision. Soujiro soon came out to join him, just for a chance to talk to the ninja man alone, perhaps.

"You don't seem particularly worried about Kaoru-san," Soujiro said lightly. When Aoshi didn't offer a response, he went on. "I'm sure you caught on that she wasn't just going out for a walk today."

Aoshi shifted his eyes over to Soujiro and stopped folding, but still said nothing.

"Himura-san, too," Soujiro went on, encouraged by Aoshi's acquiesce to the conversation. "He didn't seem very keen on stopping her from going out, even though it was clear she was up to something dangerous."

Aoshi cleared his throat. "Unlike me, Himura has no idea what Kaoru could be doing."

"Oh, so you know what it is Kaoru-san is doing?" Soujiro asked, his smile widening slightly.

Aoshi gave a curt nod.

"Dare I ask what?" Soujiro wondered.

"It is something that may or may not involve Enizu," was all Aoshi would supply.

Soujiro couldn't have looked for astonished if his jaw had dropped to the floor. "And you let her go, without even _trying_ to follow her or stop her?"

"Kaoru can take care of herself," Aoshi said, picking up the sheet to fold again.

Soujiro took this as a signal to end the conversation, but he ignored it. "Forgive me if I'm getting the wrong idea here, but don't you and Kaoru have sort of a…special bond?"

"If you mean that I care for her, then yes," Aoshi replied placidly.

"Aren't you the least bit worried or—or protective in that situation?" Soujiro wanted to know.

"Protective, perhaps. I've become very good at choosing when to spend my energy worrying and when not to," Aoshi returned blandly. "This isn't one of those times." He paused before continuing again. "I have a great deal of respect for Kaoru. I respect her decision to do this on her own," he said calmly. "Whatever it may be," he added, perhaps just to remain evasive.

Soujiro nodded, but he was still not convinced. If Kaoru was anything like Misao, and Soujiro knew she was, then she was all too eager to do things on her own. "How do you know that Kaoru isn't just too stubborn to enlist your help when she really needs it?"

Aoshi thought a moment. "I respect her," he said slowly. "So that must mean I trust her to draw that line for herself. I am confident she would not hesitate to ask me for aid if she thought she needed it."

Soujiro wondered if Misao would come to him for help. He knew she was always trying to remain self-dependent, but maybe she wouldn't be so stubborn as to refuse his help even in instances when she _did_ need it.

Aoshi let out a low chuckle. "Perhaps she might hesitate," he amended his statement. "But if it came down to it, I'm sure she would end up inviting my help."

-

Perhaps it was the dark, or the silence or just pure nerves that got to her, but suddenly Kaoru's mind became inexplicably fuzzy and her body just didn't seem to be operating correctly. She should be sprinting away—or fighting Momoru off!

Instead, she was just numb, almost ready to pass out. He held both of her arms away from her head in death grips and she seemed to be just suspended there, with Momoru's face leering down at her.

She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, trying to see anything but his face. Instead all she accomplished was provoking Momoru to do more than just stare. In seconds his lips came crashing down on hers and none too gently.

It seemed as though his aggressive actions had flicked on a light in Kaoru's head. She had movement and clear thoughts again, and she intended to use them to get Momoru and his repulsive display of unwelcome affection _off_ of her.

She struggled wildly against him, trying to twist either of her wrists free. All she got for her exhausting endeavor, however, was Momoru's body completely pressed up against hers and his hands clutching her wrists to the point of breaking. His lips began moving against hers in a way that was supposed to be erotically charging.

Kissing Momoru was nothing like kissing Aoshi. The two could not even be described as the same action at all. Momoru was not _kissing _her, he was attacking her.

Though she thought her arms might snap off, Kaoru wrenched her face away from Momoru's. He quickly grabbed her chin and yanked her lips back up to his, pushing her violently into the wall. He now had her collarbone and neck area in a deathly iron grip, his other hand working on restraining both her wrists.

With barely any space to move, Kaoru could do almost nothing but whimper in resentment as she braved a strong wave of nausea.

A second whimper sent Momoru reeling. His hands pushed against her whole body, finding new places to grab and squeeze. Clearly he had forgotten about the whole needing to hold her down part.

Before Momoru could get very far in his effort to make a grab, Kaoru's right fist flew up and collided with his left temple. The blow was packed with enough force to send Momoru crashing into the wall, desperately seeking away to keep his balance.

It felt like centuries since Kaoru had not felt his vile, rubbery lips against hers. What had been a few seconds of struggle seemed like hours. But Momoru was not ready to give up so easily. With a feral growl, he lunged at her again, only to find Kaoru's elbow sailing toward his nose. In seconds he had the bloodiest nose any girl had ever given him.

"Who do you think you are, you bastard?" she cried incredulously. "You can't just attack people like that, sicko!"

Momoru bellowed in rage. He lunged yet again, this time his hands aimed as if to choke her. Kaoru was too quick for that and quickly had her bokken out. She ducked and delivered a clean hit to his kneecap.

She let loose an onslaught of attacks, hitting arms, legs, thighs and his ugly head most of all. Momoru fought back as best he could, being much stronger than he had let on when he used to be a part of the dojo. But he was no match for a very pissed and nearly traumatized Kaoru.

In seconds she had _him_ pinned against the wall, her bokken pressing against his throat in a threatening way. Her blue eyes seemed to burn into his.

Kaoru was surprised to see Momoru looked very frenzied—even scared. This was the least composed she had ever seen the greasy slime ball. And that made her lips twitch in delight.

"Now," she said very clearly. "Regardless of whether you've had contact with Enizu or not, you're never to speak to him or anyone that might be associated. Furthermore, if I see you near me or anyone _I_ know, I will personally give you the worst beating you've ever had. If you have a broken collarbone _now_, just imagine what could be broken next time."

Momoru nervously nodded. He could feel the solid bokken pressing into his Adam's apple. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sensation.

"Also," Kaoru went on with relish. "You're to consider yourself _sterile._ No more sexually harassing young girls, got it?"

Again, he nodded.

"Now, how do I know you're going to abide by these rules?" she questioned. "Because you're scared of me. Even if it's against my integrity to kill you, I know some people who wouldn't be quite so hesitant. In fact, I'd say they're rather eager to inflict some fatal harm on you." She smiled at him sweetly.

Momoru tried to work his voice. He stuttered uselessly before rasping out, "I'm not _scared_ of a woman." Even with his weak voice and fearful eyes, he managed to sneer.

Kaoru blinked and then shrugged. She removed her bokken from where it was pressing on his throat and let it drop to her side. "Fine," she said. Then, without warning, she jerked her knee up and kicked him where it truly hurt. "_That's_ for molesting me."

With that, she flounced away, bokken swinging jovially at her side.

Momoru let out a groan. Before Kaoru reached the stairs, he moved forward and grabbed her arm.

She spun around immediately and smashed her bokken into his head. "Don't touch me," she warned in a low voice.

He didn't answer. Whether it was out of fear or the fact that he was unconscious, Kaoru didn't care. She marched up the stairs, and she couldn't help feeling just slightly victorious.

-

Aoshi paced around the porch, impatiently running his fingers through his hair. It was already dark and Kaoru still had not returned. It wasn't so much that he thought Momoru had hurt her but the sheer anxiety of the situation really got to Aoshi.

"Really now," he muttered. "There's no reason to be worried."

He immediately backtracked as he realized he had been consoling himself.

Maybe he should have let Kenshin go out to look for Kaoru like he'd wanted to, Aoshi thought irritably. Maybe Aoshi himself should just go.

But he didn't he waited. Waited because he trusted Kaoru. Because he had faith in her. Because even though he couldn't wait to see her grinning face again, he couldn't break a promise, even one he had made to himself.

And because he was standing watch for Naruku, making sure she didn't try and sneak out or anything. He sighed, knowing that Naruku had probably gotten that silly idea out of her head already. Tomorrow, he decided, they would start to trust her again.

His thoughts were interrupted by the dojo door slowly creeping open. Aoshi whirled around. Just as he thought, it was Kaoru trying to sneak back in as if she hadn't done anything wrong or made anyone worry.

Aoshi rushed toward her.

Kaoru jumped at Aoshi's sudden movement. Looking at his face, she could tell that he had been very anxious and upset over her absence. She took a deep breath and clasped her hands in front of her forehead, asking for forgiveness.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm really late and I shouldn't have been out especially due to the circumstances, but I ended up taking more time than I thought and then I was hungry from well— from being out all day so I stopped at a restaurant," she said this very quickly, in a way that made Aoshi think she'd been preparing her little speech since she started walking back to the dojo. "I know, I know, I should have come home but—"

He held up a hand. "You don't have to keep talking."

She looked up at him and her arms fell to her sides again. Aoshi silently turned his head and looked at an irregular marking on one of her arms. It looked like a bruise…a handprint.

Realizing where he was staring at, Kaoru looked very abashed and quickly slid her arm behind her back to hide the bruise from view. "Aren't you going to ask where I was?" she asked, biting her lip.

Aoshi's gaze returned to her face, illuminated by the faint starlight.

"No," Aoshi replied. "I know where you where. I think you realized that."

Kaoru had to admit that she knew she hadn't been subtle enough to hide anything from Aoshi. "So…are you mad?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes reflecting the moonlight.

Aoshi chuckled and put an arm around her, wordlessly guiding her back to the house. "No," he said. "I'm not mad. Noting that you're still quite intact, I'd say that I'm actually very proud."

Kaoru looked down, hoping that the darkness would hide the blush that spread across her face. "You really did know where I was, didn't you?"

"Yes," Aoshi replied as they walked up the steps. He stopped in front of the door. "And I must say—your method of dealing with Momoru is probably much more effective than mine."

His eyes twinkled teasingly.

Kaoru managed a sheepish chuckle. Inside, her heart was pounding. "Yeah, well, you know. Some people need more than just a good talking to. A good kick in the—"

"Kaoru," Aoshi said warningly, though his tone was light.

Kaoru ducked in apology. "Well, it's definitely what Momoru needed." She froze as she noticed Aoshi moving closer to her. Was he going to…?

"You smell odd," Aoshi said, laying his face on the top of her head. "Like alcohol."

Kaoru lowered her head and stepped away from him. Aoshi looked down at her questioningly, his hands resting gently on her waist.

Kaoru's lips began to part as she stared up at Aoshi, an odd but strangely mesmerizing expression in her eyes. She pressed her lips back together and without preamble reached up and tugged Aoshi's collar, causing his head to lurch down at hers.

Their lips were inches apart. Kaoru's eyes bore into his, waiting to see if Aoshi would take the bait or shrug it off. Without hesitation, Aoshi closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Kaoru yielded to the gentle but longing kiss, her own blue eyes closing and her hand creeping up to rest flat against his chest. She couldn't explain it, but after Momoru's unwelcome attack earlier that day, she couldn't stop her desire to feel a proper kiss again. One that filled her with love like Aoshi was currently doing.

Her whole chest seemed to expand as a wonderful feeling came over her. Their first kiss, months ago, had been one of hope, and now it was the same. Only this was more intimate. As much as Kaoru cherished their first kiss, she had a feeling that this was the one she would always remember.

Only when Kaoru began to deepen the kiss did Aoshi pull back. In Kaoru's experience (well, okay, from what Megumi told her) women were the ones that held off, leaving their men wanting more.

Kaoru stared up at Aoshi, searching his eyes. He seemed to be in an ultimatum with himself. Seconds, but it felt like hours later, Aoshi lowered his lips back to Kaoru's, kissing her very softly but with enough emotion to knock the wind out of her. But as he delicately kissed her again, Kaoru understood.

He wanted more from her, there was no doubt. But for whatever reason, it wasn't the time.

They separated again and Kaoru felt like her body had been lifted clear off the Earth and she was now stretching toward the skies. A soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped her lips as Aoshi wrapped a warm arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder lovingly.

He opened the door and together they walked inside. Both of them were ready to drift to sleep the rest of the night with blissful dreams.

* * *

A/N: This is what we call a mad-dash to add more fluff in before it's too late. 

Here's a kiss count to keep the feeling going. This includes all fics in this series:

Soujiro/Misao: 2 kisses

Aoshi/Kaoru: 3

Sano/Megumi: 2 "on-screen," many more off! (These two are the only ones who have done "the deed")

Naruku/Kenshin: 0 kisses! whoops. They lose!

Just for a couple more statistics: I am averaging 15.25 reviews per chapter. That is definitely a _very_ good thing. Thank you so much!

Also, just in case this freaks anyone out, I have submitted a total of 1,060 signed reviews. Is that a lot, do you think?

Q: Would Momoru have…er, gone further had Kaoru not managed to stop him?

A: Probably. The man's very despicable, isn't he? But I think Kaoru's just too damn kick-ass for the likes of him. 8)

The main point of this chapter was to get rid of Momoru. But also in such a way that would exhibit one of my number one points about Aoshi and Kaoru. This was discussed in detail on the MeijiTales Forum (Topic: Aoshi and Kaoru). But basically, it's the fact that Aoshi would not be stifling to Kaoru. He would be able to protect her in his own way without being _over_protective. And that, I think, is very important with someone like Kaoru.

**Zioncross: **_I guess we don't really realize how good at playing dumb Soujiro can be. I mean, he did it that time in Kyoto, remember? He's very good at keeping secrets from even his own comrades! Wow, I'm glad you got that perception from Kenshin (concerning Yahiko.) Because otherwise I would feel pressured to have Kenshin confront him. I think Yahiko hasn't said anything else because he believes it's in Kenshin's hands now. Naruku's really strong to say something like what? Anyway, I'm glad you like her. I obviously do too. :hides: Sorry! I told you Outa wasn't very important. It was just to get Megumi an apprentice and for Sano to have some family in Tokyo. Important for next fic, I swear!_

**Erica Mandarine **and **Another Baka: **_Thanks, guys! I'm glad you like it._

**Love in War: **_I think this is pretty "as soon as possible" don't you think. Yeah, Sou is acting _very _odd. More of him next chapter!_

**10 Question Marks: **_No, I don't. Sorry. Thanks, though! _

**Smiling Blue-Clad Wanderer's Obsessor: **_I'm glad you think Aoshi and Kaoru fit well together. Especially since this whole chapter was Aoshi/Kaoru…_

**One and Only: **_I'm glad you are liking this. Misao's pretty strong, so I'm sure she could stand to have her heart stomped on a _few_ more times…kidding, kidding! You're right, Kenshin did stop her. _

**Cathy Mark: **_Sorry! The SouMi happiness isn't going to last a whole lot longer…eheh…anyway, hope you liked the AK in this chapter. Kaoru's just so damn cool._

**Leona Westley: **_Let me tell you a secret—I think Enizu is a bastard too! Wow. I'm glad you hate him. You're supposed to. (I wonder if you think Momoru is "vile" now, too?) The SouMi is going to get very dramatic, so it may be too late already…but it's all good. _

**Seta Misao: **_I know. Yahiko's obviously under a lot of stress. I was really happy to see that you noticed the whole Soujiro-didn't-kill-the-caterpillar and realized what it meant. Kudos! Megumi should be okay…I think she'll appear the chapter after next. _

Also, thanks to Kei-san who is slowly but surely making her way through Walking on Mirrors and Entropy's Forsaken Crusade. She, as well as _many _of you, has been very good to me. For that I thank you all!

I think most of you understand how truly delightful it is to recive reviews. It really can make my day, and I don't use that term lightly.

**Important: **this chapter was **Kaoru/Aoshi. **Next chapter will not have a lot of romance. It will be labeled as "Naruku/Kenshin" but it will remain under the character listing **Kaoru/Aoshi.**


	14. Naruku: A Fight To End All

Disclaimer: I don't steal, you don't steal, you don't sue and I won't, either. 8)

A/N: I've been waiting since Sunday for fanfiction to stop screwing around so I could post this. Just know that I was thinking of you and how you might appreciate a quick update for a change. Haha. Now that the action is starting to get going for real, you can expect updates a lot quicker. At this point, I really don't know how long this fic will be!

As a warning, there will be a lot of sword fighting in this chapter! Those of you who like that (which makes sense…I mean, it's _Rurouni Kenshin!_) then good news! Lots of tactics, etc. The usual. Those who like the more introspective/romantic side of RK, just bear with us. I promise a lot of drama :wink:

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 14_

_Naruku: A Fight To End All _

_-_

**A**s Aoshi led Kaoru inside, they were suddenly aware of something headed right at them.It was Kenshin, sprinting down the hall, holding a lantern that illuminated him in an eerie way. His footsteps pounded in Kaoru's ears. Misao, Soujiro, Sano and Yahiko streamed down the hall after Kenshin.

Kaoru knew something was wrong. She subconsciously separated herself from Aoshi and felt him do the same as their friends rushed toward them.

"What—what is it?" Kaoru asked her eyes wide in worry.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin cried, clearly surprised but pleased. "You're back."

Kaoru nodded, her mind still anxious. "What's going on? Where's—"

"Naruku's missing," Kenshin said hastily. "She—she's just simply gone."

"Gone?" Kaoru echoed. She blindly stumbled down the hall, past everyone else to where Naruku's room was. She flung the door open, as if expecting to see Naruku sitting right there in her room.

But it was empty. What was more, the futon and bedclothes were folded neatly in the corner as if they had never been touched. Kaoru fell to her knees and she felt her friends clustering around behind her.

"She…where could she have gone?"

Kenshin shook his head, trying not to let his features become distorted by the anger and regret he felt. "I don't know where she went, but I do know the manner in which she traveled. She had her sword, and Akeri-san's dagger with her."

"So, then…" Misao began slowly from behind Kenshin. "Could she be out looking for Enizu?"

"It's very possible," Aoshi replied.

"Well we have to go look for her!" Misao interjected.

"Misao-chan, there is a storm brewing outside," Soujiro piped from beside her.

She whirled and exclaimed heatedly, "You know what? I don't care right now! Storm or no storm, my only concern is my friend who's _gone_ right now!" Angry tears filled her eyes. She felt bad for yelling at Soujiro, but it couldn't be helped. Before anyone could offer her help, she disappeared from the group, running down the hallway to where it led outside.

Aoshi shifted behind Kaoru. "Perhaps I should go with her," he offered, turning to see if anyone had any objections.

"Go where?" Sano wanted to know.

Aoshi turned on him. "To find Naruku."

-

Naruku wasn't sure why she had done it. Why she had snuck out like she did. Did she just want to get away from it all, the guilt, and the anger?

Or, and this was more likely the case, did she want to get rid of those emotions entirely by getting rid of the source of them?

When she had first left, she ran and couldn't stop running. It was just her pure luck that Aoshi wasn't directly in front of her door and she had managed to sneak out. And that he was distracted, berating Kaoru or whatever it was he was doing, and Naruku managed to steal away into the darkness, past the clothesline, past the gate out into the road. Her heart pumped faster as her feet pounded against the ground, running away, away, away.

Toward Enizu. Was she really looking for him? When she had gotten out, she hadn't though of it, but now she knew it was the real reason she was in an alleyway in the middle of nowhere.

The first time Enizu had attacked the dojo, Naruku had all but shown him the way there. Enizu had, without knowing it, given her the choice between staying at the dojo and revealing Kenshin to him or leaving Tokyo but keeping her friends hidden from Enizu. Naruku had chosen the former, and suffered from it. She wasn't going to make the same mistake. She was going to make things right.

Naruku felt the lightest mist in the air. It couldn't really be classified as rain. It was more like the moister was being plucked from the air and floating around her. She breathed.

"You wanted me Enizu?" she shouted, looking up at the sky. Her voice lowered as her eyes focused on one dim star. "Well, I'm here," she whispered, closing her eyes.

She heard a shuffling step behind her.

"Perfect."

She whirled. Emerging from the shadows was none other than Enizu. Suddenly Naruku could not keep her balance, could not stand on her own feet.

She lurched forward but caught herself just in time. This was the first time she had seen him. The first time she had heard Enizu speak since that night so many months ago. Reality seemed to hit her hard and take the breath from her.

She had to have been kidding herself to think she wouldn't be this upset; this _scared_ at seeing him in the flesh again. She clutched the hilt of her sword as if it would keep her from falling over. She tried not to let him see how much she quivered in his presence.

"What?" Enizu said, suppressing a chuckle. "No Battousai? He didn't follow you here? He isn't…lurking behind the corner, is he?"

Naruku did answer. Mostly because she didn't trust herself to speak without breaking down into tears. And also because she didn't want to let Enizu know that she was all alone. But it didn't matter if she said so or not. Her silence answered for her.

Enizu grinned. "Even better. Just tell me one thing," he drawled. "Why are you here?"

And this time Naruku found her voice. Weak and uncertain as it was, she had found room to speak. "To end this."

Enizu raised his eyebrows, as if he were surprised. He took two steps closer to her, but they still remained the length of a carriage apart. "I hope you don't think it will be that easy," Enizu said, clearly enjoying his first taste of revenge. "But actually, I have a surprise for you."

For one fearful second, Naruku was afraid that Enizu was going to bring out the decapitated bodies of all her friends. That thought vanished as another man stepped out of the shadows and came between Enizu and Naruku.

"Enizu," the man said gruffly. From the sound of his voice and the wary way he moved, Naruku guessed that he was a lot older than her or Enizu. This new man was in his early forties, at least. But there was no mistaking the fact that he was a fighter. Born one, and most probably would die one. "Is this the one?" he jerked his thumb at Naruku.

Naruku watched Enizu carefully. He had a thin smile on his lips. "Yes," Enizu replied slowly, not taking his eyes off of Naruku. "This is the one you will fight."

The man turned to look at Naruku. She expected him to say the usual line, that it was demeaning to fight a woman, or she was too runty to be worth it. Maybe he would even laugh at the sight of her. But he did none of these things. Instead he just turned his whole body to face hers, his eyes becoming flat and pinned. The eyes of a warrior. But Naruku got the sense that there was something else behind that expression. Something almost sad.

"It would be rude to fight you without telling you my name," the man said to her. "I am Kujima Rokuro."

"I don't want to fight you, Kujima-san," Naruku said respectfully, mostly because he hadn't made a rude comment about her being a weak girl. Her eyes flickered toward Enizu.

"You don't really have a choice," Enizu purred. "Fight him."

Naruku shook her head. Then she stopped and glanced back at Enizu. "If I fight him…" she said slowly. "If I win, you have to promise to leave this city and never return. Never even cast a glance in the direction of me or any of my acquaintances."

Enizu laughed. "Very well," he said, a creepy curve to his lips. "But if you loose, you will loose your life."

Naruku was hesitant to accept the offer. She couldn't deny it, she was scared, and the threat of death was enough to make her want to scream and run away. But no. No, she would stay and fight and win, because that would end it all. She thought a second longer before curtly nodding her head.

"Enizu," Rokuro said shortly. "Quit distracting the girl. I want this done with."

Enizu's sneered at him but stepped back and walked a short way down the alley to get out of their way. He seemed to almost blend in with the wall behind him, or at least that's how it looked to Naruku in the dark. She focused her attention of Rokuro, her opponent.

She was surprised to see that her shaking had almost stopped completely. But she hadn't had a one-on-one battle like this since she had fought Akeri in Kyoto all those months ago.

And this would probably be the most important fight Naruku would ever find herself in. Everything rode on her shoulders for this one. To win meant she could save her friends from Enizu. To loose…she would die.

Naruku suddenly felt very much like how Kenshin felt just before a battle. Strangely calm and yet, passionate, or so it went in Naruku's mind. She closed her eyes and a second later, her sword was out of its sheathe.

Rokuro inspected Naruku's 'hanashitou,' thus named by the sword's creator.

"You would fight me with a blunt sword?" Rokuro asked, his eyes still tracing the bladeless sword. He did not sound ridiculing or arrogant, but simply curious.

Naruku's eyes opened to reveal green intensity. "Yes. This is only a battle of life and death if I loose."

Rokuro couldn't help but feel slightly surprised at the words that were coming from such a young woman's mouth. He thought nothing of it, and soon his sword was out as well.

"I try to be a gentleman," Rokuro said. "So I will give you the first chance to strike."

Naruku kept her eyes trained on him, watching warily. She looked for any openings, any clues as to how to beat him, but she found nothing. His stance looked flawless. Naruku closed her eyes, trying to come up with some sort of strategy. _Speed, _is what she came up with. _I need to be quick._

With a tap of her right foot, Naruku set herself off, running at Rokuro in a jagged angle. Her hands tightened around the hilt of her sword, holding it almost vertical and out towards her right. She was ready at any moment to strike.

Watching her carefully, Rokuro shifted the position of his sword slightly.

Naruku pursed her lips as she came toward him. In a flash she was above him, and quickly landed behind him, swinging her sword and using its velocity to turn herself back around.

To Naruku's surprise, Rokuro's sword was blocking long before her own _hanashitou_ had reached its destination. Naruku sprang back underneath one of the awnings on the surrounding buildings.

"Fancy footwork indeed," Rokuro said. "But you should know to save the embellishments. What you really needed to do," he slowly brought his sword around to his other side in an offensive position. "Was make sure you landed a hit when you had a chance. Now, it's too late."

Naruku didn't say anything. She knew what he said was true. Her tricks and ornamented footwork would not do any good, cunning as they might be. She brought her sword down, holding it out from her hip and parallel to the ground. Again she charged, and this time she noticed that Rokuro was in motion as well.

He struck first. Naruku sidestepped his thrust, changing the position of her sword as she did so. She saw her opening. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu—Ryukansen!" It was a technique she had only just learned, but it worked. She hit Rokuro squarely on the waist where his torso curved around.

Naruku's eyes widened as she felt a blow being dealt to her as well. Rokuro has altered the path of his blade so that the blunt part caught Naruku in the back of the neck. She quickly ducked her head, letting the sword pass over her. But it had already done its damage. Naruku heard Rokuro step back as she gasped for breath, trying to distill the pain.

"So, you train under the same style as Himura?" Rokuro muttered.

Naruku whipped her head back up. "What, did Enizu forget to tell you that, or something?" she snapped. Then she paused. He had said 'Himura,' not 'Battousai.' Did that mean that Rokuro had no real grudge against Kenshin? Was he merely Enizu's pawn?

From his spot in the shadows, Enizu chuckled. "I _knew_ this would get interesting…"

Naruku didn't say anything, but her gaze focused on Rokuro alone. In her eyes she held all the malevolence and anger she felt toward Enizu. She flicked her sword, holding it diagonally in front of her. With a burst of speed she was running at Rokuro once again. He seemed to be holding his ground this time, which Naruku had not anticipated.

As she reached him, Naruku swung her sword back and then in a downward arc. She finally made her attack from the opposite side. Her fake-out worked and she landed another blow on Rokuro. She jumped to the side to avoid his sword. Without pausing, she launched herself at him again. She snapped her wrist forward, sending her sword directly at Rokuro's shoulder. Predictably, he blocked and Naruku brought her sword down to strike at his thigh, planning to duck as well to avoid Rokuro's blade.

Before she could get that far, Rokuro's fist sailed in and collided with her jaw. She was caught completely unaware and was forced to take whole force of the blow. She spiraled away from the impact, only barely managing to land on her feet.

Cringing, Naruku used her thumb to wipe the blood away from her mouth. Part of her lips was split open. She could feel it. _This isn't working,_ she thought desperately. _It's just not enough. I must win. Even if it costs me my life._

She started forward again, a new resolve in her movements. Rokuro seemed to sense this as well, for it was the first time he held himself in the defensive stance against her.

Naruku delivered two blows in rapid succession. One that arrived as soon as Naruku was close enough. This one was easily blocked by Rokuro's sword. The next was delivered much closer to him, a short swing to the ribcage. Rokuro blocked this with the palm of his hand. He shoved Naruku away forcefully and came at her, now completely on the offensive.

_This man…_she thought. _He knows how to do anything to win. But I can't let him! I can't allow this to continue._

With quick resolve, she swung her sword, putting her whole body into the action. Surprised, Rokuro jumped back from the swing, avoiding the sword by inches. As Naruku's swing followed through, Rokuro struck again. He was now towering above her and his sword was aimed right down on her exposed back.

Naruku let out a shout and stepped forward to evade the strike, simultaneously crashing her body into his gut. She was sent toppling to the ground while Rokuro held his footing, sustaining only a slight shock in his stomach.

Naruku yelled wordlessly as she crashed her back into the floor. Tears sprung to her eyes out of frustration and anger at herself. Rokuro brought his sword down, as if he were simply chopping wood. Naruku knew that in seconds her torso would be severed in two.

One hand on the hilt, she brought her sword up in front of her, using the other hand to support the sword, knowing that otherwise her block would just crumble beneath the force of Rokuro's blow. As their swords clashed, Naruku assessed her situation and realized she only had so long for her strength to put up against his.

"Hyaah!" Naruku cried, as she rolled out from under the two swords. Her arms were the last part to leave that spot. The force that Rokuro was putting on his sword caused it to go straight into the ground when the resistance of Naruku's sword was gone.

Within seconds, Naruku was on her feet again. "Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, Ryuso—"

Just as she was about to carry out the 'Ryusosen' attack, Naruku felt the wind being knocked out of her as Rokuro slammed her into a wall using his left hand. The other hand gripped his sword, which came at Naruku's face, millimeters behind his outstretched hand.

She was so tightly pinned against the wall that she had no room to use her sword to block. She didn't even think about what she did next, which was raise her left hand to deflect the sword strike with her wrist. She gasped in pain as the sword hit, slicing into the flesh of her arm.

She was sure the sword would have cut right through her arm had Rokuro not pulled it back. As the sword left her arm, Naruku screamed. Such agony she had never felt. She knew that her left arm was now rendered almost completely useless. All because of her carelessness, leaving herself open to an attack she did not expect. But she couldn't give up. Broken bones or no, she had to win.

"_I will not loose!_" she cried, driving her shoulder into Rokuro's chest and pushing him away with all of her might.

He stumbled back, his sword waving a foot above and to the left of Naruku's head.

Naruku had put all of her body weight into that push. Her leg shot forward to catch herself from falling. Her grip tightened around her sword. She felt her left arm shaking and she knew she couldn't be putting so much force on it. _Please hold on,_ she told herself. _I just have to beat him…to protect everyone. To keep Enizu from hurting them…Kenshin. If I loose, I die, and for nothing._

Her hands stopped shaking and her sword was outstretched on the right of her, sloping downward. Her left had was tucked tightly to her right hip, while her right arm, holding the sword very close to its blade, had the elbow locked and held slightly away from her body. Her legs were far apart and she was very low to the ground, almost crouching. Her green eyes were hooded and staring right up at Rokuro.

She took a flying step toward him, and then another. The last step she took with her left foot was to add momentum to her swing as she brought her sword around to strike.

To her surprise, Rokuro did not raise his sword to block her. Her sword hit him right on his side, and his extreme resistance to the blow forced the sword out of Naruku's weak grip.

_Everything I do is just not quite enough…_ Her own momentum caused her to turn all the way around until her back was facing Rokuro.

His sword was at Naruku's throat. All movement ceased. Everything seemed to be hanging in the air.

_I…_Naruku couldn't breathe. Her eyes closed, but not by will of her own. _Lost. I'm going…to die. And Enizu won't stop until Kenshin is dead as well._

_And the others…_She was numb, but she felt her knees giving up, just as she felt her spirit do the same. _Dead. _She fell to the ground, landing on her knees, her eyes opening to see Enizu's dim figure in front of her.

She could hear Rokuro's breath behind her, and felt the cold metal of his sword against the back of her neck. He said nothing. Naruku's lungs refused to take in air.

"I hope you remember our deal," Enizu said, strolling out of the shadows.

She closed her eyes, feeling the tears come. Sobs silently shook her body as she felt a droplet of water come down. And then another. She heard rain hitting Rokuro's sword behind her. The hollow clang filled her ears, vibrated through her whole body.

Enizu's voice reached her again. "You've lost, Naruku."

She wept, knowing it was true and that her life was at its end.

* * *

A/N: This chapter was so much different from last chapter. It's no wonder I had to divide them in two! Jeez. 8) 

Thank you for all your support yet again! You've really helped me along with this fic. I know there are a few of you who couldn't review because fanfiction essentially broke…I thank you for even just putting in the time to read! It's always nice to _know_, though, so please do keep sending reviews!

**"Oro" Object: **_Well, you win some, you loose some. Poor Naruku and Kenshin, though, just can't seem to get it together. Not even one kiss…Anyway, thank you for your compliments, as always. (haha…please don't steal my chapter!)_

**Genki Ninjagirl: **_Kaoru's pretty kick-ass, isn't she? I'm glad you like all the pairings…more Sou/Mi to come, I promise! Just not a lot of WAFFy stuff, considering…_

**Justagirl8225: **_It's fine…I'm really happy that you're reading again! I bet you really liked last chapter, huh? I'm glad you like the Aoshi/Kaoru and don't think it's too rushed or anything…and yeah, Momoru really had it coming, wouldn't you say?_

**Zioncross: **_Sorry about Outa…I'll make it up to you somehow! Kaoru can be pretty scary, huh? Just make a note not to get on her bad side…or hit on her like that. I dunno what you're talking about, Aoshi and Kaoru are _always _cute…according to me. Thanks for always reading and reviewing. You don't know how much I appreciate it!_

**Noname: **_:hiding: Sorry! I really am. I promise there will be some _good _Sou/Mi stuff in the future…as a way of making it up to everyone who wanted more. And also because it was in the plot since the beginning, but whatever. _

**Question Mark: **_Sorry…why do you want me to know how to use Photoshop anyhow? Thanks, and it's nice to know you're reading!_

**Seta Misao: **_Aoshi and Kaoru _are_ the happiest couple right now. For a reason. Naruku and Kenshin have had it rough huh? Misao and Soujiro broken apart by _my _hands? No…no, surely not! Haha…well I'm glad you're enjoying this and like all the plot twists…I'm sure having a lot of fun!_

**Hot-Chick: **_Haha…I can see where you'd get that scary idea:shudder: that would be a little to dark for me. (Momoru _would have_ probably, but Kaoru made sure that he got taken care of…) I think Aoshi realizes how much of a risk it is, but seeing Kaoru come back safe and sound probably makes him think he made the right choice. Of course, she didn't exactly tell him about Momoru assaulting her…_

Thank you thank you thank you! And hopefully, if you are reading this, you'll be reviewing in just a matter of seconds.

But just for your consideration: is anyone interested in beta-ing for me? It would involve a lot of helping me with certain character interactions…not for this fic, a different one. Also involves a few Ocs and lots of romance. If you're up to it, please e-mail me! WhiteRabbit(underscore)the(at)yahoo(dot)com. Thanks for your time!

**Important: **This chapter was under the setting Aoshi/Kaoru. Next chapter it will be under **Kenshin**, with no secondary character. Thanks and see you then!


	15. Intermezzo: A Long Night

Disclaimer: I think you get it by now… A/N: Hey guys! I wanted to update before it went into read-only mode. (That means a lot of you will be skimping on the reviews 'cause reviewing will be impossible…oh well!)

Thank you everyone who is reading and has remained interested with this fic so far. I can only hope I don't disappoint!

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 15_

_-Intermezzo- A Long Night_

_-_

**A **fat droplet of rain came down from the sky and hit Misao squarely on the head. "Wow, it's really starting to come down," she commented as she jogged alongside Aoshi.

Aoshi grimaced in reply. Now was not the time for light chatter, he thought disapprovingly. They needed to find Naruku. The only problem was that they didn't know where to look.

Aoshi inwardly cursed himself. _His_ fault. He had been away from guard duty for just a couple of minutes, but he should not have been away at all. Aoshi had thought that Naruku had given up on sneaking out…that she no longer needed to be locked in her room. He had stolen a moment, a precious moment, and let Naruku out.

The good part was that Naruku only had about fifteen minutes head start. And in this rain…he didn't expect that she had gone far.

His main worry wasn't that she had gotten away, but that someone else had gotten to her first. Someone meaning Enizu.

"Aoshi!" Misao called.

It was then he realized that the young girl had split off from him and way about ten meters away, looking down an alleyway. He followed her voice, barely able to see her through the rain.

"Look," Misao whispered, motioning down the alleyway.

Aoshi peered through the darkness. He stepped into the alleyway, slowly making his way forward. He felt Misao creeping behind him. Abruptly, Aoshi knelt down, crouching near to the floor so he could make out an object that lay at his feet.

"It's her sword…" Misao whispered, recognizing the object at once.

Aoshi could hear the strain in her voice. He picked the hanashitou up and unsheathed it. There was no mistake. Blunt on both sides, it was clearly Naruku's beloved sword. Before he could put it back in its sheath, he felt Misao's cold, wet hands carefully taking it from him. He turned and watched her curiously.

"You know, when Naruku first started living with Enizu, it was when she and I were out looking for you," Misao said quietly, running her fingers over the metal surface of the sword, pushing droplets of water off of it. "And I simply let her go. Jiiya was furious with me…but he'd never realize how angry I was with myself."

Aoshi said nothing. He suddenly felt very small, a feeling he had never really had before. What Misao spoke of was something he might never understand. The foolishness of a young girl. Foolishness that sprung from good intentions.

"I just…" Tears leaked from Misao's eyes, mingling with the raindrops that were already there. She let out a sob and quietly returned the sword to its sheathe. "I just wanted her to be happy."

Aoshi found himself reaching out to Misao, offering a consoling hand on her shoulder.

"Aoshi-sama…" Misao spoke, her tears ceasing. "What do you think happened?"

Aoshi stood up, bringing Misao to her feet with him. He quietly surveyed the rest of the alleyway. His fingers brushed along one of the surrounding walls.

"A sword stroke here…" he muttered, noticing how the wood was warped differently.

_--Naruku slammed into the wall, feeling the force of Rokuro's next strike coming down on her.--_

He circled a spot in the middle of the alley, looking down at an imprint in the mud. He got on his knees to inspect it more clearly. "And here...a hand to brace a fall." He looked up at Misao's concerned and questioning face.

_--At once it was clear that her strike had gone awry, and instead of hitting her target, Naruku was sent toppling to the ground, waving her arms sporadically to cushion the impact.--_

"There was a fight?" Misao asked quietly, her whole body tense.

Aoshi nodded. "It looks that way, but…whose fight?"

Misao's eyes darkened. "Who was the victor?"

Aoshi suddenly spotted something a few feet away. He got on his hands and knees and crept toward it. Another oddly shaped imprint in the mud. Much deeper than footprints, and definitely not the right shape. "Someone kneeling here…like this," Aoshi got on his knees.

_--The sword was removed from her throat. Naruku sank to her knees, awaiting the blow that would kill her.--_

The rain had washed away any more evidence, like blood or scraps of clothing.

"Misao," Aoshi uttered.

Misao carefully crouched next to him. "What?" she breathed, her voice almost inaudible over the pounding rain.

"I don't think Naruku won."

Misao closed her eyes and slowly let her head drop down. Her slippery hands clasped together, turning her knuckles almost white from the pressure.

When Misao opened her eyes again, Aoshi was no longer by her side. He was facing a wall a little bit more down the alleyway.

"Misao," he spoke clearly and carefully. "Misao, come here."

She jumped to her feet, surprised at his urgent tone. She joined him at the wall, following his line of vision. Stuck there was a single dart, similar to her own kunai. But the alarming part was what hung from the dart. It was a white rag, saturated with rainwater. Around the rag was a single piece of rope, the frayed ends waving in the wind.

Misao gasped. "Is that…?"

Aoshi nodded. "Naruku has been drugged and tied up," he stated bleakly. "Most likely, she's been captured."

-

It had been an hour since Aoshi and Misao had departed, and everyone was on edge. Kenshin most of all. He paced up and down the hallway, looking like he was ready to either tear the city of Tokyo apart or lie down on a futon and never get up.

The leak in the roof, Yahiko noted, didn't make things much better. Kaoru sat biting her nails in anticipation and just watching the bucket collect the rainwater that dripped in through the crack in the roof.

Sano stood against the wall, his arms crossed and his head dipped down, almost as if he were resting. But Yahiko knew that everyone was _very_ much awake.

And then there was Soujiro, who didn't seem to know what to do with himself. Yahiko couldn't stand it. He probably knew just where Naruku was and what would happen to her, should she encounter Enizu. Soujiro was, after all, working for Enizu. How could he just _sit_ there, pretending to be worried and scared like the rest of them really were? How could he?

"Don't just pretend like you don't know what's going on," Yahiko snarled.

Soujiro jumped at being addressed. "I'm sorry…what do you mean?"

Yahiko jumped to his feet. "That's right. I know what you've been up to, all right? You can't hide it any more!"

Soujiro blinked, obviously very put off by this.

"Yahiko, please!" Kaoru cried, rushing to try and calm her student down. "This isn't the time to—"

"Kaoru, he's working for the enemy!" Yahiko shouted in reply.

Everyone went silent. The only sound was Yahiko's harsh breathing.

Soujiro spoke quietly, "Please Yahiko-san, I'm very appalled at what has happened to Naruku-san as well…"

"Yeah, well you'd know, wouldn't you?" Yahiko spat. "Just what _has_ happened to her, huh? Or did your boss Enizu forget to tell you?"

"Myojin-san…" Soujiro trailed off. Making a decision, he stood up and addressed them as a group. "I'm sorry. I don't want to stay here if it causes trouble. Please tell Misao-san that I'm sorry…"

With that he strode down the hall, outside into the storm.

When he was gone, Kaoru rounded on Yahiko. "Just what was that all about?" she demanded.

"It's true!" Yahiko replied. "I _saw_ him talking to Enizu! He's against us, he's working for Enizu, I swear!"

Kaoru looked taken aback. "Is that…really true?" she turned to Kenshin uncertainly, but he couldn't seem to hear any of them.

"Would I lie about something like that?" Yahiko hollered. "Yes, of course it's—"

"Clam it, kid," Sano put in, clapping Yahiko on the shoulder. "Does anyone else hear something?"

They all paused and strained to hear.

"…not like…will be able…"

"That doesn't…mean…going to try."

Kaoru's face lit up. "Yes it's—it's Misao and Aoshi!" she scrambled to her feet and started to dash down the hall, but Kenshin grabbed her arm.

He raised his head to look her in the eye. She realized how tired looking his face was. "Do you hear three voices?" he asked, his voice sounding old and worn. "Or just two?"

Kaoru froze. Her face fell. "Just…two."

Kenshin didn't say anything, but released her arm and the two of them strode purposefully down the hall together. Sano and Yahiko followed, rather impatiently. They reached the front door just as Aoshi and Misao came in, soaked and tired looking.

"Where is she?" Kenshin asked.

"Himura…" Misao trailed off, biting her lip. She glanced at Aoshi.

Unable to handle her tentativeness, Kenshin grabbed Misao's wrists and roared, "_Where is she?_"

"Kenshin—!"

"Himura-san, calm down!" Aoshi and Kaoru worked to pry Kenshin off of Misao.

Misao stepped back. She understood Kenshin's fury completely, but it still scared her. He was usually very careful, and it was hard to see him loose control like that.

"Himura, Naruku is alive, that much we know," Misao said directly, as if trying to make up for her uncertainty earlier.

Kenshin's attention snapped to Aoshi after he curtly nodded at Misao's words. _Alive, _he reminded himself. _But that could mean so many things._

Aoshi nodded and cleared his throat. "We found Naruku's sword in an alleyway," he said. "And also evidence that she was involved in a fight."

"A fight?" Kaoru asked, looking bewildered. She exchanged confused glances with Sano.

"Yes," Aoshi went on. "We don't believe that it was Enizu himself, but…definitely something having to do with him."

"So then…" Sano began slowly. "Do you know who might have won the fight?"

"We're certain that it wasn't Naruku," Aoshi briskly replied.

Cold fear seemed to seep into each and every one of them.

Kenshin's eyes seemed to have clouded over, and he was pacing again. Every once in a while he would shake his head, as if he were dizzy.

"The last thing we found…" Misao spoke up. She pulled out the white rag along with the rope and dart.

The other four peered closer at the objects in her hand.

"So Naruku was…" Yahiko began.

"Kidnapped?"

Aoshi nodded. "Another thing, Himura-san."

Kenshin looked up and his vision seemed to clear a little.

"The rag and rope were found pinned to a wall. As if whoever did it wanted us to find it," his tone was very purposeful.

Kenshin slowly nodded. Without another word, he brushed past the two Oniwaban and opened the front door. A flash of lightning lit the sky for a split second. The sound of rolling thunder and pouring rain was nearly deafening.

Kenshin stepped outside and walked across the porch, giving the weather no consideration at all.

"Hey—wait!" Sano cried, pushed past everyone to follow his friend. "Kenshin!" he shouted as another stroke of lightening came.

Kenshin turned. Sano couldn't see his expression clearly enough to see if he was annoyed, impatient or even relieved. But no matter what he felt, the important part was that he stopped and allowed Sano to catch up with him.

"Listen, you can't just go off on your own!" Sano said, yelling above the thunder and rain and soaked him and Kenshin.

Kenshin patiently watched him.

"You don't even know where koneko might be, and you're risking your neck without thinking things through!" Sano hollered, even though Kenshin was less than two feet away. "Jeez Kenshin, this isn't like you at all! This is more like…more like _me,_" he realized. "This is something _I_ would do."

Kenshin's lips thinned. "The problem," he told Sano. "Is that there is no time. I have to act _now_ if I'm going to do anything at all!"

Sano could hear the frustrated rumble in Kenshin's voice. "I know Koneko means a lot to you—a lot to all of us, but don't you think this is just a little headstrong?"

"No," Kenshin said in a normal tone. Sano could barely hear him over the rain. "No, I don't think it's headstrong. It's what I have to do, Sano." He said it with such solemn finality that Sano was left speechless.

"…At least let me go along," Sano pleaded. "I mean, _someone_ has to—"

"Sorry, Sano," Kenshin said, speaking up so Sano could hear his answer clearly.

"I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?" Sano asked. A moment after he spoke, a loud crack of thunder filled his ears.

"Find Megumi. Make sure she's safe," Kenshin said. Before he could turn and walk away, Yahiko and Aoshi had joined them.

"Himura-san, are you really planning to—" Aoshi began, his eyes wide.

"Yes," Kenshin cut him off. "Even Sano can't convince me otherwise. I have to go now, but Yahiko? Aoshi? Please take care of Misao-dono and Kaoru-dono."

The two nodded, suddenly struck with how precarious their position was. They didn't know what would come next.

"Wait, Himura-san," Aoshi spoke up again. "Is it really in our best interest to do exactly what Enizu expects?"

Kenshin faced him, looking the taller man straight in the eye. "Yes," he replied unflinchingly. A definite yes.

Aoshi nodded, accepting the rurouni's answer. "Then I will do as you ask." He stepped back.

"What about Soujiro?" Yahiko asked seriously. There was a dangerous look in the young boy's eyes.

"If we end up having to face Soujiro, then so be it," Kenshin said. "He was an enemy once. He can be one again."

Yahiko's gaze faltered and he too stepped back. No one said anything as Kenshin turned his back and took a deep breath and began walking away from them, launching himself further into the storm and darkness which held his future unknown.

"Just bring her back…" Kaoru whispered from the doorway, watching as Kenshin disappeared from view. She didn't realize that Kenshin was thinking the same thing at that moment.

_"Just bring her back."_

-

"Was that the Kamiya dojo I saw you coming out of?" Enizu questioned the dark-haired boy.

"…yes," the answer was slow and somewhat weak. Soujiro was off-guard, it seemed.

"Interesting. Are you trying to accomplish something that is separate from my goal?"

"No, of course not," Soujiro said swiftly, to repel any misgivings the older man might have.

"I didn't think so. You are, of course, my right-hand man and I'd be very sad if I couldn't trust you to be loyal to me." A souvenir, Enizu thought. Almost as valuable as the girl.

"I apologize. I wanted to spy on them to see how they would react when N…when the girl went missing."

Enizu clucked his tongue. "Hm…"

"They suspected me of nothing," Soujiro added quickly.

"Is that so?" Enizu replied thoughtfully. "Well what was it you observed?"

"They were all very—er, worried…" he replied quietly. "Why didn't you send a ransom note or something to make sure that the girl would lure them to you?"

Enizu smirked. "It's not necessary," he replied coolly. "You said they didn't suspect you of anything? Even after they remember you as Shishio's right hand man?"

Soujiro looked taken aback. After all that time he had spent with Misao, he didn't really think that any of them at the dojo thought of his as Shishio's old ally. But Enizu had no idea that Soujiro had had contact with Misao for the past few months. "Yes, that's correct. The Battousai is too trusting for his own good."

Enizu chuckled. "It is something that I am always able to count on."

Soujiro let a bright smile light his face. He was very good at this. At becoming the trusted one, the number one man. Just like he had with Shishio. "What are your plans Enizu-san?" he asked in a tone filled with servitude.

"My plans?" he repeated, a slow sinister grin contorting his clean-cut features. "…Go back there. See what you can do to make things…easier on me. Test the strength of their bonds. Then report to me. I know I can count on you Soujiro."

Soujiro nodded resolutely. "Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

Soujiro turned on his heel and exited, avoiding the penetrating gaze of Rokuro who stood outside the room.

Enizu could not keep himself from laughing in perverse delight. He had never been so close to victory, so close to the revenge he needed. The revenge he had spent his whole life on.

Kenshin had ruined his life…and now it was his turn to make Kenshin's life a living hell.

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A/N: Overall, I'm pretty glad with how this chapter came out. We're reaching the climactic part fairly soon…should be exciting, ne?

Last chapter I received a couple…interesting reviews (teehee.) Well just one. I know some of you want to see me chew out a flamer again, ne? Thank you to everyone who _did_ review, I appreciate it very much, as you can probably tell by now. Continue to do so and you'll be rewarded in the obvious ways (faster updating, etc.)

**Charming Woman: **_Thanks!_

**"Oro" Object: **_er…Naruku really did loose. I'm not lying! She got beat up pretty bad and then convinced she was going to die! Poor girl…_

**Some Slut: **_Thanks, and er…no, not really. I suppose if you had something to recommend I could see. I'm not particularly conservative or anything, lemon is just not my cuppa tea, you know?_

**Zioncross: **_Isn't that surprising though? Wasn't that one of the times you were expecting her to win and, not quite defeat Enizu, but at least set back his plans? Ah, well. It's difficult to write a fight scene on the loosing side. I'm sure no one blames Aoshi for Naruku's escape…or everyone does, deep down inside, bwhaaha! _

**One and Only: **_Yeah, she really did. As you can see, no one came to save her, but Enizu was lying to her. Still, it's surprising when the "good" side looses, ne? I'm glad you thought the fight scene was easy to follow. I try. I hate Enizu too…you're not alone._

**Stupid fic: **_As you can imagine, I'm not exactly going to be paying much attention to your little blather. This is not because I can't take constructive criticism or because think that my writing is perfect. I understand that a lot of what you're saying may _actually_ make sense. However, the fact that you are saying these things with_out_ the intent to help is reason enough to ignore you. Of course, I can't pass up a good rant of my own! _

_Another reason why I find it difficult to consider what you are saying: you are not considering my fic at all. You can't see past the fact that there is an OC present. I bet you _anything _that if I took the OC out and made this KK, you'd love it. Because that's just how shallow you seem to be. _

_In any case, I don't have endless amounts of time to waste with you and your angry ranting, but I'll leave you with this: obviously you are enjoying this fic on _some _level if you read up to chapter fourteen…ne? And don't say it's a "gross fascination" because I don't see that as true. There are so many fics out there that I guarantee are worse than this, er…"TORTURE" as you so eloquently put it._

_To my other reviewers: Raise your hand if you know me in person…uh-huh, that's what I thought, not a single one._

**No name: **_Thanks for the sentiment! You're sweet. But I don't think any flamer is going to have an easy time hurting me. _8-)

**MSN-chan: **_Wow! Thank you so much for stepping up to defend me and my fic. I appreciate it, because it shows that you really do like this fic. :hugs: you're great, and you made some excellent points!_

**Question marks: **_Oh…sorry. And as for when the action starts, it should be right about…now!_

**Love in War: **_I know! Surprising, isn't it? I hope you'll like what's in store!_

Well, that was fun! Nothing like an angry flamer to brighten my day…and of course nine others who really do appreciate this fic. Aww…thanks guys.

**Important: **The next chapter will be under the pairing **Misao/Soujiro. **See you then!


	16. Naruku: The Will to Live

Disclaimer: If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, things would definitely be different, as this fic can attest.

A/N: I'm way far behind. Last chapter I failed to make any of the announcements I was going to!

First of all, I'd like to say thank you and congrats to my 200th reviewer, who I think is "Question Marks."

Also, I made a mistake in chapter 13's kiss count. Sano and Megumi have actually kissed _four_ times in this series, not twice. So they win! (Sorry Aoshi and Kaoru, but you get silver prize!)

Lastly, and I'll remind you of this again at the end of this chapter _and_ put it in my bio, due to…complaints, I'm going to be permanently putting this story under the Soujiro/Misao category, even though it seemed like the main pairing is more Naruku/Kenshin at this point. But for the sake of everyone being able to find this easier, it's now going to be permanently **Soujiro/Misao**.

Just one quick thing: when you see the whole line in italics, it's a flashback. I hope you'd be able to figure that out by yourselves, but to avoid misconception I'm just going to tell you.

Tanoshimu!

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_Chapter 16_

_Naruku: The Will to Live _

_-_

**N**aruku sat still in the water, listening as water dripped from the spout. Outside of the bathroom she could hear someone rustling about, changing position from time to time. Whoever it was was on guard duty for her, making sure she didn't kill herself or climb out the window. Naruku didn't have plans to do either of these things, because frankly, they would both end in her being dead, which was not something she was particularly keen to achieve at that point.

The window was cracked open to prevent the room from steaming up, and from outside Naruku could hear a gentle whistle as wind caressed the trees.

Naruku curled her legs up against her bare chest, tucking her hands beneath her feet and letting her chin hover inches above the water. She closed her eyes slowly as she released her body from its tightly wound position and gently slid into the water. She dipped her head forward, submerging it beneath the surface.

_Raindrops seemed to crash down against her skin as Naruku waited for Rokuro's sword to make its final blow on her. She was not accepting her _fate as the loser, but merely yielding to the fact that fighting back would be futile. She had done enough of that already, when she had fought back against her friends, who kept her in her room for her own good. So she wouldn't get hurt.

So _this_ wouldn't happen.

"For whom do you spill these tears?" Enizu asked, noticing the wetness on her cheeks was not solely because of rain.

Naruku didn't answer. She couldn't even look at him.

"For yourself, because you do not wish to die?" Enizu went on, mocking her. "For Battousai because you know he'll blame himself…or perhaps for me? Because no matter how twisted I've become, and no matter what I've done to you, no matter how much pain I cause you…you will always love me." This was said with a sickening chuckle.

Naruku's eyes were open at once. "_Never!_" she cried out in cold anger.

Almost immediately following her outburst, Naruku felt a harsh slap being dealt to her left cheek, causing her head to turn involuntarily. She gazed at Enizu out of the corner of her tear-filled eyes. He seemed enraged, but quickly calmed himself down.

"My dear," he said, his voice smooth like rich silk. "I should like to kill you for your impertinence. But I shall let you live…if you make it worth my while." Somehow, even over the pounding rain, Enizu was able to make his low, husky voice heard.

Naruku spat at Enizu's words, not caring whether it landed on him or not.

Enizu lunged at her, but this time he was stopped by the flat of Rokuro's sword as it swiftly struck Enizu's hand.

Enizu backed away from Naruku, glaring at Rokuro who stood behind her.

"Let's get this over with, Enizu," Rokuro rumbled, his voice very chilling.

Rain fell all around them as Enizu's eyes continued to burn into Rokuro's, but the latter did not seem fazed at all.

"Very well," Enizu said, shaking out his hand to rid himself of the smarting pain. His eyes slid back to Naruku, who was on her knees in the same position. "As I said…I can let you live. Join me in my vengeance once again. Or you can die here."

Naruku's voice was steady and sounded through the pounding rain. "I choose death."

Enizu did not look back at her. Instead he raised his eyes to Rokuro's again and gave a slight nod.

The next thing Naruku knew, Rokuro was holding a white cloth drenched in fumes against her nose and mouth. She wrenched her head away, refusing to breathe in.

"_No!_" she cried out desperately, hot tears stinging her eyes. She shook her head vigorously, trying to evade the cloth. "NO!" She struggled as hard as she could, twisting and pushing herself away.

But she soon found herself face down on the ground, the cloth pressed against her mouth. She continued to fight back, trying to roll herself away. Death was one thing…but this? This capture…Naruku could not submit herself to it.

"You will aid me in my revenge," Enizu began with delight. "Whether you want to or not."

_Never. _But she could not stop it. She could not keep herself from being captured, used as a lure for Kenshin. Or as a tool for revenge.

Naruku coughed violently into the ground, her lungs bursting from her effort to hold her one last futile breath. The stench of chemicals seeped into her system and she slowly stopped struggling, her movements becoming sluggish and weak. Her eyes seemed to dim and her struggle ceased as she lost consciousness. Her body lay limp and useless on the ground.

_Startled, Naruku opened her eyes and realized she was still underwater. She could see strands of her auburn hair clouding the water above her. _Her mouth formed into an'o,' letting a burst of air out which drifted upwards and disappeared. It was so quiet and dark beneath the water. Everything was muted and unreal.

Naruku was suddenly aware of a force jerking her up out of the water. A strong hand gripped her hair and yanked her up by it. Her lungs burned from lack of oxygen. She emerged with a splash from beneath the water, taking in a huge gulp of air. Her shoulders slumped as she sat back, her wet hair matted down her back and across her chest.

Slowly she turned her head to see who was behind her, who had dragged her out of the deafening silence. He was facing away from her, but Naruku recognized him to be Rokuro, the very same man she had fought earlier that night. The one who'd almost killed her at Enizu's demand.

She put a protective hands across her unclothed breasts and crouched down low, hiding all but her eyes behind the rim of the bathtub.

"I wasn't going to drown myself, you know," she told him matter-of-factly.

She heard a hoarse chuckle coming from him. Curious, she raised her head so that her chin rested on the brim of the bath.

"No," he answered, his voice muffled since he was facing away from her. "I'm sure your will to live is much stronger than that."

She lowered her eyes. "I can't tell if you're mocking me or not."

He started toward the door without another word.

"Wait," she said, folding her arms beneath her chin. "Where are you going?"

"In my experience," Rokuro answered, pausing in his steps. "Women don't generally like to have company when they aren't wearing anything." This statement was accompanied by another chuckle, which quickly turned into a hacking cough.

"Well…just…" Naruku couldn't think of a reason that she'd stopped him from leaving. "I'm scared," she said at last.

"Ah," he replied thoughtfully. "Always a good reason to have an enemy around when you are most vulnerable."

"Don't be like that," she snapped impatiently at his sarcastic words.

He started walking out again, but this time he paused in the doorway, still facing away from her. "I'll go get you some clothes."

Naruku couldn't bring herself to smile, but her mood felt somewhat less dreary. Tucking her chin in against her chest, Naruku immersed herself in the water, shivering at how cold it had become. She waved a hand lazily around underneath the water, awed at how graceful and slender it appeared to be. However, through sharp scrutiny she could see red scars marring the pale skin around her wrists.

_Naruku tugged and gnawed at the thick rope that bound her hands, trying desperately to free herself. Ribbons_ _of blood blossomed where the _rope chafed against her tender skin. She sat in the traditional way for a young woman, feet tucked nicely beneath her. But this was not by choice. She glowered defiantly up at Enizu, who paced in front of her.

"I love this. Don't you? It's just like the old days," Enizu said in a chilling tone. "Do you remember?"

She remembered. She remembered being a slip of a girl, only fifteen and hopelessly infatuated. She remembered looking at Enizu through eyes that held only adoration.

"I remember that I wasn't tied up," Naruku said darkly, struggling with the ropes. They held fast to her protests.

"Yes, well," Enizu said with a wave of his hand. Then, suddenly, instead of pacing in front of her he had knelt down and was right next to her face.

"I do like this new dominance," Enizu said in a sinister tone. "This complete…_control_." His hand snaked behind her ear, brushing a few strands of wet hair away.

Naruku turned her head away in disgust, but Enizu's hand shot out and grabbed her chin, forcing her head back into place. He brought his other hand up and struck her across the face. The blow was so hard it made Naruku topple over and slam her already bruised face into the floor.

By that time she was crying. Huge, hopeless sobs escaped her, causing her whole body to heave as she wept.

She head a few quiet guffaws coming from Enizu as he came nearer to her tired body.

Naruku's whole body tensed as she wound herself into a tight ball, trying to protect herself from Enizu and his brutal violence. Grinning, he grabbed the back of her gi roughly, tugging her upwards until she was hanging down from his grip.

Naruku involuntarily arched back, clutching the front of her butter-yellow gi in hopes to keep herself covered. Enizu tossed her across the room, as if she were no more than a mere rag doll. She shrieked and Enizu delighted in the sound of her protest.

Naruku crumpled against the wall, just below an open window. Through it she could hear the endless moaning of the wind. She shut her eyes, wishing she could disappear into the wall so that Enizu could not see her, could not touch her. She put her arms in front of her for protection, but Enizu disregarded the helpless action.

He pushed her against the wall, lifting her upwards again. She made the decision to open her eyes, and as tears streaked down her cheeks she saw for the first time what was really in Enizu's soul. She could see only carnage in his eyes. Enizu was nothing but sadism and violence.

She cried out wordlessly, helplessly and desperately. Her whole body shuddered as Enizu harshly pushed her torso out the window, bending her body backwards.

Naruku's eyes rolled back in her head as everything became disoriented and dizzy. She was flying outside, her neck arched back and her head pointing towards the ground two stories below. She dangled from the window, Enizu's hands pushing her waist down against the window frame. And she could hear him laughing. Loud, insane giggles of glee. She whimpered, tears now racing down her face, splashing down from her eyes to the ground that lay too far below her. Her whole body was bitterly numb as she hung there, an intense wave of terror washing through her. Suddenly she felt Enizu's hands groping, heaving her back inside from the terror and turmoil that rested in her. 

She breathed in and forgot to breathe out.

He slammed her into the wall beside the window, his legs pushing against her hips, grinding her into the wood. She wailed as he slammed her head against the wall several times, rattling her head until she could not see. And then he simply let go, letting her drop lifelessly. He kicked her slumped form and walked off without another word or sound.

She felt the floor rushing her up at her even though she was not moving. Her head spun and something seemed to pulsate behind her eyes. Intense waves of sickness filled her body as she tried to focus.

She clutched her head, her abdomen, her knees, her chest, anything to feel herself again. Her hands clasped together, sweaty and clammy with the knuckles turning white. She felt like she could not hold onto herself enough, that she was just a mass, devoid of spirit or life. The more she tried to reach out the more she seemed to fade away.

_Dark green eyes snapped open to a sharp tap on the door. Naruku gasped and covered herself quickly before Rokuro came in._ _He diverted his _eyes from her, holding out a white cotton yukata.

"It was all I could find," he told her.

Despite his eyes being closed, Naruku kept a hand crushed against her breasts as she slid a lithe arm out to take the robe.

"Thank you," she mumbled sincerely.

Rokuro turned around without further comment.

Naruku bit her lip and quickly made a decision. She stood up from the water, letting it slough off her with a loud splashing noise. The window allowed some moonlight in and it illuminated her, making her pale white skin look like lotus petals. She hastily wrapped herself in the robe, tying the knot securely.

"You can turn around," Naruku told Rokuro as she wrung her hair out.

He did so and made no reaction to her appearance.

"You aren't like Enizu," she said quietly. "Because you didn't take advantage of me and you do not seek revenge."

Rokuro bowed his head, understanding the question that she had not yet uttered.

"So why do you do his bidding?"

"I am old, and no longer the man I once was," Rokuro began. "After the collapse of my clan during the restoration, I had to find a way to support myself using the only skills I could. Fighting and killing. I became a hit man, simply because it was a way to survive. My only way.

"But now I can no longer defend myself against enemies that I've made by doing my job. Comrades and family members of the people I've killed mercilessly come after me from time to time, but what worries me most is when my past employers come after me to do a bit of 'clean-up' so my service to them won't scratch their perfect reputations. I realized I could no longer defend myself against these people, so I had to find a company, a more powerful man with men who served him to do it for me. In return, I am a loyal servant."

He did not spit the words and his voice held no resentment, but Naruku sensed that Rokuro was not happy to be in situation. It was just something he had to do. She understood, too, that he told her simply because she was there. He did not feel he owed her something for listening, because he had grown out of needing consoling. Now his story was just something to say, something he told her just because she had asked. It had no attachment to him.

That made Naruku sad. It was his life, but it meant nothing to him. And yet, he did everything he could, even forsaking his principles as a human being, just to hold onto that life.

"Your will to live is strong," she told him, mimicking his words to her earlier. But she was completely sincere. "Stronger than your dignity."

Rokuro let out a short chortle and turned his head away from her, as if he was ashamed. "It is not a will to live," he told her, making his way to the door. "But the choice to die as I please."

-

Kenshin sat with his head bowed to the rain that drenched him. He clutched his dripping sakabatou as he leaned against the wall, eyes closed. He had left the dojo hours ago, hoping that his pure will and strength of mind would lead him to wherever Naruku was. To where Enizu was.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen that way, and Kenshin soon found himself crumbled in a dark corner of the street, getting splattered with rain as minutes dragged on. Kenshin realized that Enizu had given him no clues as to where Naruku was.

And this made no sense to the Rurouni. It was clear that Enizu wanted him to know that Naruku was kidnapped, but then, did he not want Kenshin to find her? Was his wish to let Kenshin waste away, day after day looking for her and slowly killing himself?

Kenshin lifted his head. Perhaps he wasn't far from the truth. Perhaps Enizu had given up trying to fight Kenshin, trying to prove how much better he was. Maybe all Enizu wanted now was for Kenshin to suffer.

Violet eyes closed once again. He could not let that happen. For Naruku's sake…he couldn't let it happen. With a jolt, Kenshin realized that in order to have his _own _wishes fulfilled, he would have to play by Enizu's rules.

_Fine_. _I'll do it your way, _he thought bitterly. _I'll lie and hide myself, I'll find out where you are using your own devices. I'll do a million other things just to save her. And to defeat you._

He jumped to his feet, eyes wide. It no longer mattered that rain pounded around him on all sides. It no longer mattered that he was cold and tired and near the point of hopelessness. He shook his head.

No, he would not lie and cheat and betray. No. That was not Himura Kenshin. No matter what Enizu was doing, Kenshin could never do the same. No matter who's life was on the line. He knew no matter how frightened and miserable Naruku could possibly feel at that moment, she would never want him to sink to that level. Never. Because then what would she do? Escape from one act of wickedness just to watch her friend, her best friend, commit another? Kenshin could never do that to her. He could never do that to himself.

He started walking. Any direction, it didn't matter as long as he was still moving. On his way to finding her. He felt an unsurpassable surge of strength, something that reminded him of his first completion of the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki. That something, he knew, was the impenetrable will to live.

* * *

A/N: Well, I may as well get right down to answering all of your wonderful reviews! You know how much I love them? Probably. But it's a lot. 

**No no no: **_I'd be surprised if…um, I forgot their name…the flamer came back. Sorry! Cliffhangers are kind of inevitable right now. _

**Zioncross: **_I always love hearing from you. I'm glad that you noticed that about Soujiro. He may, in fact, be a kind of double agent at this point. However, you are wrong about one thing, but I'm not telling what! Whatever the case, Soujiro's holding his cards very close to his chest right now…actually there's going to be a lot of him next chapter, so you'll probably be able to figure it out. As for Kenshin…I'm holding _my_ cards close on that one, so you'll just see._

**Genki Ninjagirl: **_You're very aptly named. Of course Soujiro won't kill them all! Blasphemy. But, you're in luck, next chapter will have a lot more insight as to exactly what he's up to._

**Charming Woman: **_I'm glad you liked my rainstorm. It's lasted for…what, three chapters now? Haha. In any case, I'm glad you approve._

**Anonymous Freak: **_Oh, don't worry about the flame. Really. Yes, Kenshin's leaving, but not forever._

**Tenken's Amour: **_Aw, thanks!_

**Smiling Blue-Clad Wanderer's O: **_Enizu's beginning to doubt Soujiro, Kenshin's beginning to doubt Soujiro…you'll find out exactly why in the next few chapters. Thanks for being so enthusiastic about this fic…and for approving of the K/N pairing as well. Means a lot._

**Rose Mary: **_I'm glad I've got you thinking. Thanks for the compliment…creative, eh? I like that. Well, I won't let it go to my head. Much._

**Himura Kaoru: **_And don't we all? Yup, Soujiro's a tricky one right now. And Kenshin's just plain determined. _

**One and Only: **_I'm glad you liked the Aoshi/Misao! How you described it is pretty much exactly how I wanted it, so I'm glad it worked. I know. I'm starting to see a lot of details about Naruku and Kenshin that even _I _hadn't noticed before either! I think Kenshin is thinking along the same lines as you…_

**Insane Reader: **_I know, I'm sorry! I put it under Soujiro/Misao permanently now, so hopefully it'll make it easier for you._

**Cathy Mark: **_I'm glad you think so._

**Yuna: **_Yeah, I know. So complicated. Anyway, thanks!_

**Liem: **_I've missed you! I want to scream in happiness because of all the wonderful reviews you've left. You seemed to have enjoyed the Momoru sub-plot quite well, huh? (It was so fun, in a kind of sadistic way, for me to write it!) Misao's caterpillar fear is actually canon! She freaks out in Shingetsu village when she sees one…haha. I'm glad that Naruku is still managing to keep away from Mary-Sue stereotypes. Gosh! After all this time, I'm still managing to keep her all right. What do you think of her relationship with Kenshin, though? It's pretty precarious business, pairing an OC with the main character…sheesh. I'm glad there are so many quotes you like! I try. _

**Question Marks: **_I'm scared for Naruku too…tell me what you think of this chapter and her flashback of what Enizu did to her…jeez. Scary! _

Thank you all again. Before I forget, and before I loose the nerve, I'd like to impress upon you to matter of constructive criticism. Now, I like being told"you're great", or "you rock" just as much as the next person, but what really gets me going and inspired is when people really inspect my fics. Tell me what's wrong with them. Tell me what, exactly, is right with them. Tell me what you _thought_ of a certain part or a certain character—that _really_ helps me grow as a writer. You won't believe how much.

I notice a few of you really are doing these things and for that I profusely thank you. For the others—thanks for even giving time to review, but next time you do please try and think about a few specific aspects of that chapter. If you decide to just leave an "update soon," well that's all right too, but it doesn't get me quite as excited to write another chapter or another scene as leaving a review pointing out why Misao's reaction is suitable, why Aoshi and Kaoru's interaction is cute, etc. (these are all hypothetical, of course.) Even (or _especially_) telling me why someone's actions were _un_suitable, who was out of character and why,givingreasons why two characters could not be paired together or anything else.

Negative or postive, these are the types of things help me lots and really give me the spark I need to start on a new chapter, scene, or even a new fic!

Okay…thanks for listening to my looong and painful babble. I just wanted to get that out there.

As a reminder, the fic is now under **Soujiro/Misao** for all chapters. Thanks for reading.


	17. Soujiro: Another Man's Agenda

Disclaimer: Yup. I own Rurouni Kenshin, but I just love writing fanfiction of my own series!

A/N: Whew! Chapter 17 already! And I haven't even hit the climactic part! This is like…rising action. Anyway, as you can probably tell, this will be my longest fic. So enjoy!

Sorry for being a bit later in updating this. I actually knew I was going to be a few days late…I should have mentioned it. I'm just finishing up school here on the West Coast, so thanks for being patient. Once summer rolls around…you better watch out!

Also, I love this new hit-counter…I can tell, now that someone has read all of my chapters and has not reviewed. I don't mention it a lot, but please do review, it helps me a lot.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 17_

_Soujiro: Another Man's Agenda_

_-_

**M**isao sat lifelessly on the patio, staring out across the courtyard in the humid, stale morning. She fanned herself with a hand, not really because it was hot but because feeling wind on her face made her feel alive.

She could practically feel the color draining from her face overnight and knew that she looked terrible. Not that it mattered. Misao guessed that no one else had gotten a wink of sleep either. The night and its horrors had an unshakable grasp on everyone, and it was not about to let them go just because the sun had risen.

A movement by the gate caught Misao's attention. She snapped over to it, expression completely alert, like a cat waiting to pounce. Had Kenshin come back already, Naruku safe with him? Was it Soujiro, who had disappeared without a word the night before? Or…could it be an ally of Enizu's, come to finish off the rest of them?

It was Sano. Next came Megumi, walking behind him.

"Misao," Sanosuke greeted, shutting the gate as soon as Megumi was through.

Misao didn't say anything, but just watched them. "Should you be here?" she asked, motioning toward the older woman.

Megumi huffed angrily, brushing a few locks of hair away. "I'm here because I choose to be. I want to help Ken-san, and… save Naruku."

Her brown eyes were so deeply regretful and solemn that Misao couldn't do anything but nod back.

"But…"

"Listen itachi," Sano said, reverting back to her old nickname. "I'm just here to drop off Megumi. I know you'll make sure she's safe, but my place is with Kenshin right now, got it?" he said, turning towards the gate.

Misao nodded again, looking at Megumi uneasily. "I…I'll go get Aoshi-sama."

She stood up and padded indoors, walking quietly down the hallway that seemed so empty and gray. Aoshi emerged from a doorway that Misao had already passed. She turned at the sound of the shoji door. Misao did not take notice of the fact that the room Aoshi had just exited was not his own.

"Aoshi-sama," she said. Looking at him, Misao could tell that he had not had a wink of sleep the whole night. He wore the same clothes that he was dressed in the night before, only now they were slightly wrinkled and some threads were loose. His hair was messy, but his eyes were as bright and cold as ever.

Aoshi stumbled toward her, blinking wildly and running a hand through his hair.

"Woah," Misao whispered at his appearance. He seemed so out of it, so dizzyingly awake.

"Listen, Sano and Megumi have just shown up," Misao began. "They're outside. Sano said he's going to go find Kenshin, but I don't even…" she trailed off as Aoshi began to speak.

"I…" he rasped. "I know where she is."

Misao's knees shook. She clenched her hands within the fabric of her shirt. She couldn't say anything. _I know where she is, _Aoshi had said. Surely he didn't mean…?

He did. Aoshi barged down the hall, throwing open the door and stepping outside. Misao hesitated to follow him, instead peering inside the room where he had come. Inside was Kaoru, tying the belt on her hakama.

Misao pushed the door all the way open. Now she could see the bokken gripped in Kaoru's right hand.

"Aoshi-sama just…" Misao began.

Kaoru balanced the bokken precariously as she hastily tied her hair up with a plain band, no ribbon. "I know," she said breathlessly. He just came in here, saying he knew exactly where Naruku is. We're leaving right now." She grabbed her bokken again and went past Misao and out the door.

The younger girl quickly followed, trotting alongside Kaoru. They barely paused to open the front door as they made their way outside. Kaoru hopped down the steps, joining Aoshi in the middle of the courtyard, where Megumi stood alone.

"What happened to Sano?" Misao questioned from her place just behind Kaoru.

Megumi looked up. "He went already."

"But how does he know where Kenshin is?" Misao demanded.

"He doesn't," Megumi replied. She cast a glance at Aoshi, unaware that Misao was busily thinking.

"We're going," the stoic man said. "You too." He nodded at Megumi.

"What?" Kaoru asked. "But, I mean…Megumi-san…"

"It's a good idea to have a trained doctor on the scene. Our fighting may be daunted, but I'm willing to take a risk if it means saving a life that would otherwise be gone."

Kaoru's breath caught in her throat. For a moment, Aoshi had sounded just like Kenshin, and that brought her hope and confidence.

Aoshi expression flickered for a second as Yahiko joined them.

"Are we leaving now?" were the only words that came from the young boy's mouth.

"Yes, Yahiko," Kaoru replied kindly. "We are. Do you have your shinai?"

Yahiko patted the wooden sword that was strapped to his back. Next to him, Misao was busily counting the pouches of kunai on her belt.

"I'm going to go get Sano," Misao said. "This is…" she didn't finish, but instead took off, sprinting out of the gate and down the path.

"Hey—_wait!_" she heard a voice call out, but it was too late. She needed to find some sanity, some truth in all of this confusion.

It was a beautiful morning, a soft breeze ruffling the woody trees alongside the road. Misao stopped in her tracks suddenly. Her gaze was fixed on the side of the road, where a black tuft of hair could be seen.

Misao silently crept forward, turning her body to look at a different angle. There was a sliver of human flesh visible. She ran.

"Soujiro!" she called out, but he had disappeared between the trees already. She catapulted herself through the branches, hitting them away as she ran towards him.

Unbeknownst to Misao, Yahiko was racing after her through the trees. He too had seen Soujiro. But unlike Misao, Yahiko knew the threat that Soujiro posed. "Misao—you can't!" His voice was lost between the branches and Misao's own yells.

Misao arrived at a clearing where Soujiro stood, his back facing her. She leapt towards him.

"Soujiro," she murmured, grabbing his shoulders and turning him around. She collapsed against him and he stumbled back from the weight.

"Misao," he replied, a slight edgy note to his voice. "What're you…"

"Soujiro, I don't know what to do! Naruku has been kidnapped and Kenshin already left to find her last night. Now Aoshi says he knows where she is and we can find her, but Sano ran off and…and…" here she took a deep breath. "And I just don't know…"

"Sh…Misao, it's okay," Soujiro said in a soothing voice. "I've been thinking about it and…I know where Naruku-san is as well."

"You…_what?_" Misao asked incredulously, stepping away from him to see into his blue eyes.

Soujiro nodded solemnly. "If we can find Himura-san—"

"_Stop!_" a voice cried from behind Misao. She whirled around and was surprised to see Yahiko standing there, a furious expression on his face.

"Yahiko, wha—"

"Don't listen to a word he says!" Yahiko exclaimed, coming nearer. "He's working with Enizu—I swear to you!"

Misao looked in bewilderment from Yahiko to Soujiro. "Yahiko, you're wrong, Soujiro wants to help, he knows where Naruku is and—"

"Of course he knows! He helped Enizu put her there!" Yahiko hollered. "Misao, he's not to be trusted!"

"Don't be stupid," Misao shot back, angry tears welling up in her eyes. She put a hand on Soujiro's chest. "He's my friend…I love him." Soujiro's hand found its way on top of Misao's.

"But Misao, he just wants Kenshin dead!" Yahiko shouted. "He's been toying with you this whole time, he's—"

"Stop it!" Misao shrieked. "I don't believe you!" She lunged forward at Yahiko, but Soujiro had her hand captured with his own.

Yahiko jumped away from her violent reaction. "Misao, please, I'm telling the truth, he's not on our side, he's—"

Before Misao could even think, her arm was raised and descending quickly. Her hand connected with Yahiko's cheek with a painful _smack_ noise. Yahiko toppled over. He shut his eyes and clutched his cheek, finally falling silent. He looked up at Misao, pain and regret clouding his eyes.

Misao seemed almost confused as to what she had done. She had just hit Yahiko. "Yahiko…" she said softly. "I'm…"

She was about to apologize when Yahiko suddenly stood up again, his features twisted into an angry look. "Fine," he said coolly. "Fine."

He turned on his heel and left the clearing, disappearing between the trees.

Misao looked on remorsefully.

Soujiro touched her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"Come on," Soujiro said softly. "Let's go." He pressed his lips to her forehead gently and Misao's eyes fluttered closed as Soujiro kissed her.

-

Soujiro waited patiently in the empty study, keeping an eye out for Enizu and his followers. _Other_ followers, he chided himself. Soujiro was one such person himself.

"So how did it go? What did you find out?"

Soujiro jumped at the inquiry. He morphed his glare into a smile as his eyes followed Enizu from the doorway to the seat behind the desk.

"Battousai left the dojo late last night," Soujiro reported. The words sounded practiced and unnaturally timed, but he was sure Enizu would not take notice. As long as Soujiro remembered to think of Kenshin as _Battousai_, Enizu would have faith in him. "He has no idea where you are keeping Naruku."

Enizu grinned, a slow, wide smile that slithered onto his face like molten gold. "I'm sure he'll be able to figure it out…if he just remembers one important thing about me."

"What's that?" Soujiro asked purely out of curiosity.

Enizu's grin broadened and he tapped his head. "I'm Kanryuu Takeda's brother." And then he cackled.

Soujiro strained to keep his own smile in place as Enizu sobered.

"Well. We know that _Himura-san _has left…that was to be expected. And the other fools? What of them?"

"You mean Kamiya-san?" Soujiro asked carefully.

"Yes," Enizu replied. "And that asshole, Sagara…"

Soujiro quickly nodded. "Yes, Sagara-san went to find you as well," he answered without missing a beat. More practiced lines.

"Hm…Well we can't have him or anyone else interrupting the resulting fight between myself and _Himura-san_. I think we'd better set up some defense around the castle, don't you?"

Soujiro nodded and began to feel sweat pouring off of his neck. This was the most crucial moment to his plans. It came down to this moment, the very last method of resistance. After Soujiro had failed to stop the kidnapping of Naruku, which he regretted to no end, this was the last thing he could do.

"Well there's no reason not to set up shooters and swordsmen behind the font gate and along the entrance pathway," Enizu reasoned. It was a casual decision to him, didn't matter much in the long run.

Alarm bells went off in Soujiro's mind. "Is that such a good idea?" he asked, sweating profusely. "Battousai's friends are shrewd and cunning. Surely you are underestimating them? What if they make it through the front gates? There will be nothing stopping a siege of the castle once they are inside."

Enizu looked thoughtful. "I hardly think that a rooster-head is going to be able to make an attack on my castle."

"Still!" Soujiro said in desperation. "He could cause some chaos."

"This is true…" Enizu replied, a finger on his temple.

Soujiro continued to sweat over this. "Maybe you should keep reinforcements in the secret passageways?"

"Maybe just The Tunnel," Enizu replied. "That's not a bad idea."

"No!" Soujiro replied.

_I'm so sorry, Misao._

"The…uh…Shinomori-san won't know about The Tunnel. It was constructed after he left Castle Edo, remember?" Soujiro said shakily.

"Shinomori-san?" Enizu asked, arching an eyebrow. "He's still at the dojo?"

Soujiro's eyebrows furrowed. What did Enizu mean, _still?_ When did he find out about Aoshi being at the dojo? And did that mean he knew about Misao as well? But it would do Soujiro no good to appear off-guard.

"Yes," he replied, bowing his head. "He has knowledge of the older secret passageways. He may try to use them to gain access, and with such a strong opponent even Rokuro and myself may not be able to hold him off."

Soujiro didn't know if this was true or not. He had never seen Aoshi fight, even at the time they were both allied with Shishio. It could be true that Rokuro alone would be able to hold Aoshi off, which is why Soujiro needed to make sure his plan went along accordingly.

Enizu opened his mouth to speak. "Sagara-san is very headstrong. I have no doubts at all that he will try and get through the main entryway."

"He won't," Soujiro replied. "Takani-san is with him. As you know, she is familiar with the layout of the castle, just like Shinomori."

"Are you suggesting that I post most of my forces in the passageways of this castle?" Enizu questioned, his face drawn into a tight, rigid expression.

Soujiro gazed at him with an unflinching stare. "Not most," he said. "All of them."

It was a gamble in all respects, but Soujiro knew he had to take it. If he could get Enizu to use all of the forces on Aoshi and the others, thinking that they would be the only opponents, he would not expect an attack or even a simple _interruption_ from somewhere else. Some_one_ else.

Misao, who was sitting outside the castle at that very moment, hunched against a wall and trying to look inconspicuous with the help of Soujiro's brown cloak. That was the only person not accounted for in Enizu's plan. For Soujiro, she was crucial.

Enizu tapped the top of his desk.

Soujiro was waiting on edge for his answer.

"Very well," Enizu said, sucking in air. "I will have two men at the gate. The rest, as you suggest, will be in the secret corridors. My idle men, however, will remain situated in The Tunnel. You and Rokuro will go to your stations and wait for further reports from the checkpoint men. Should Shinomori and the others get that far…well, you know how to deal with them."

Soujiro nodded, taking mental notes of all of Enizu's plans. The inactive men in The Tunnel would be difficult to get around while keeping Misao a secret. Unless…

Soujiro smiled brightly. "An excellent plan, Enizu-san!" he chirped.

"Thank you," Enizu replied, blinking lazily. "Go inform the men. I'm going to have a little chat with our _lovely_ prisoner."

Something inside of Soujiro lurched, but he kept his composure and nodded before walking out to meet up with Misao. He could only hope from this point forward, that everything fell into place.

-

Yahiko returned to the group of determined travelers after his shouting match with Misao. He stepped out of the trees, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. He had failed them, leaving Misao with the enemy. Surprisingly, though, he felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up it was Kaoru, her sapphire eyes full of pride. The kind of pride that could not be put into words.

Instead, Megumi dropped to his side and began inspecting the red welt on his cheek where Misao had hit him.

"Hm…" Megumi commented, clacking her tongue. "You're all right."

Yahiko nodded. "You didn't have to wait for me," he started.

"Don't be stupid," Kaoru disputed. "Of course we did. You'd maim us if we went anywhere without you. Let's get going, though, Sano's waiting for us."

"You found him?" Yahiko asked, leading them down the path again.

"We didn't really have to look. He's just around the bend, apparently didn't get very far before realizing he had no idea where to go. And then when he got wind of the fact that Aoshi _did_ know, he was practically begging to join up with us again."

Sure enough, Yahiko could make out his older friend's gangly figure nearing them.

"Hey kid," Sano greeted Yahiko, nodding his head at the rest of them.

"Sagara-san," Aoshi said placidly.

Sano crossed his arms and his eyes darkened with an intimidating look. "I get the feeling you don't really want me along, Shinomori."

Aoshi brushed him off. "It doesn't really matter what I want," he replied, elusively.

Kaoru was shaking her head, barely suppressing a laugh. "Well _I'm _glad that you're coming," she said, mostly to make him feel better but also because it was true. Besides his strength, it was Sano's good humor that they might need, to lighten even the darkest of moments.

Megumi wound her arms around Sano's shoulders. "Outa-kun is looking after the clinic until I get back," she said. "Try and make him proud."

Sano gave an easy grin. "I'll do my best. Always do."

Twenty minutes later, the five of them had reached the gates of Castle Edo. The dirt pathway loomed ahead of them. They seemed frozen in awe and slight fear as they looked at the menacing sight of the giant mansion that lay ahead of them.

Aoshi turned away and began walking in another direction, without even looking back.

"Hey!" Kaoru exclaimed, catching his arm. "What are you doing? We just got here, and we've made it this far, so—"

Aoshi cut her off without even saying a word. Soon he had everyone's eyes on him, expectant, questioning. "We enter from a secret entryway that will lead us to the center of the castle. To the room where…"

He faltered and Kaoru was at once worried. Then realization dawned and she moved closer to him.

"The room where my comrades were killed. That is where we will find Enizu," he started walking away with a sweep of his coat, the reminder he had never completely gotten rid off. Kaoru hurried after him, and a perplexed Yahiko trailed. Sano nodded to Megumi and they, too, followed.

It was a picture of the height of their hope, drawn in the watercolors of the morning as the group of friends walked briskly and steadfastly toward their goal.

* * *

A/N: Okay, now truthfully, who figured out where Naruku was being held before I actually said so? Who figured it out during Enizu and Soujiro's conversation?

I'm worried about the organization of the next few chapters. As you can imagine, there will be a _lot_ going on. Don't worry, I'll figure it out.

Wow! Great turnout for last chapter. Thanks for all the comments, everyone. I really appreciate everything you say.

**Zioncross: **_It was actually really easy making Enizu as evil as he is. My only worry is that he's _too_ sadistic, and that will make him either unrealistic or the kind of character that gets swallowed up because he doesn't have enough of a persona. Hopefully I'll be able to dig into some of that during a certain fight he'll have. :cough: Naruku had to go through a lot last chapter (and I feel so bad for it now!) Her torture, though, is only beginning. Yes! I got the response I wanted for Rokuro. Everyone seems curious, which is how I want them. He's definitely different from Enizu or even Soujiro. Thanks for being so observant all the time! I love your reviews. _

**Another Baka: **_it is, isn't it?_

**Liem: **_You'll never know how much I love having you back. Flames are _always _fun, as a certain reviewer of mine can attest. Rokuro isn't exactly a gentleman…he has the very bare amounts of manners, but he's definitely very different from Enizu. I'm glad you approve of Naruku's kidnapping scene…it was difficult to write. Baka, Liem, get your mind out of the gutter, Naruku was taking a _bath _on her own freewill because having Enizu touch her in any sort of way is just gross. Hm…It's so hard to check for typos, but I'm now alerted to the fact that I have a few so I'll be on the lookout. Thanks, Liem! I love that quote too…am I allowed to, seeing as I made it up? Kenshin might need someone like Naruku…you're right. But I don't know, I'm just a fanfic writer!_

**Yuna: **_I don't think Rokuro is either good _or_ evil. You'll see more on that, though…_

**Leona Westley: **_Rokuro is an odd character…and Enishi is _truly _a Sadist. Thanks so much!_

**Question Marks: **_Yeah, you were a few chapters ago. Of course you hate Enizu—you're supposed to! I'm glad that you do. Hm…Enizu dying in the end? Well I already figured out how he was going to end up almost immediately after I thought him up (that was actually how I thought up Naruku.) I hope some of your questions about Soujiro were answered this chapter. Even more next chappie. I'm glad you liked Rokuro._

**Cathy Mark: **_I know, she's going through so much. Last chapter was kinda short, huh? Oh well. _

**Long Island grace: **_Aw, Sa-chan, you changed your penname. And just so you know, _I'm _not the amazing one, YOU are. That review was…MONSTROUS! I love it! Thank you sooo much! And congrats for getting to summer! I'm glad you liked all my "vignettes" that were tangentially related to the matter at hand. Yeah, I know, I dunno what happened with that fight, but hopefully I'll get my act together for the next fight. WoM was weird, I finally realized I don't need to have a billion fight scenes for this to be an RK-esque fic. Oh…I think I'll have to apologize in advance for something that happens regarding Kenshin and Naruku later. You'll see what kind of casualties there are…I like your assessment of Rokuro's character, and I think you've pinpointed the reason why he seems like he doesn't belong in Rurouni Kenshin. He doesn't care about anything! What you said about his relationship with Naruku is pretty correct, too. Wow. Quite passionate on the Enizu subject, aren't you? You're right, Enizu existing creates a gap between Naruku and Kenshin. I don't want to spoil anything, but that isn't going to change anytime soon, either. Wow…oh my god…Biiiig hug for that analysis on Naruku and Kenshin. That was wonderful. You made my day! I am actually currently writing a fic that will end up highlighting _EXACTLY _what you said about Naruku. The fact that she bounces back.__ Enizu…Bondage/discipline? You're scaring ME now. Isn't that odd though? Naruku is being tortured by a man she used to love…the way life is, huh? I'm glad you liked the end piece for Kenshin. You had the right reaction to it, so I feel accomplished. Oh, and thanks for that e-mail, very good idea, I'll think on it. _

**Anonymous Freak: **_Good title, huh? Well, I had both Ao/Kao _and _Mis/Sou in this chapter, so I hope you're happy!_

**Whisper of the Wind: **_Poor Naruku, right? Thanks! Glad you like Rokuro…he's been getting a lot of positive feedback. _

**"Oro" Object: **_'course I updated, I always do! You'll see about Naruku and Kenshin at the end. And yes, a one-on-one battle is coming soon._

Thank you all so much…I really do appreciate it a lot when you send reviews. Keep that constructive criticism rant from last chapter in mind. It does wonders to leave a perceptive review for me. I like to think that my writing is sophisticated enough to be analyzed intellectually. Thanks for everything, see you next chapter (when it will finally be summer for me!)


	18. Iunctis viribus: United We Fight

Disclaimer: Isn't that kind of self-explanatory? I'm _dis_ claiming in. Not claiming. It's not mine.

A/N: I know, this chapter took a little bit longer than usual. But it's all my website's fault! Go blame _it_, not me. (Well, okay, it must be a little bit my fault.) Speaking of which, go check out said website because it just got, like, ten times cooler. I'm still really low on pictures, though. Whatever. Focusing on the fic now.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 18_

_Iunctis viribus: United We Fight _

_-_

**K**enshin stepped tentatively into the entrance hall of the castle, listening carefully to the echoes of his sandals against the clean marble floor. The doors clanged shut behind him, alerting anyone within earshot of Kenshin's presence. Tired-eyed, Kenshin moved forward. He didn't care if they knew he had come. He knew he was expected. Welcome, even.

Even so, it surprised Kenshin to see that not a soul was in the main hall except for himself. He moved slowly onward toward the majestic stairways that loomed in front of him. The stairs were huge, snaking up and out of view to where Kenshin knew was his destination. Every step seemed to bring him closer, and yet, farther away.

He reached the intersection of the main hall and the east and west wings. There he stopped, looking carefully from one side to the other. No one.

So far the only people he had encountered were the guards at the front gate. They hadn't been hard to take care of at all. Just a simple swing of his sakabatou and both were on the ground, knocked-out.

Presently, in the marble hall, Kenshin wondered if Enizu was planning to deter his arrival at all. Perhaps not. Perhaps the entire point was to deliver Kenshin directly to him. Kenshin looked down, slumped his shoulder, and let out a long sigh. The steps he took felt so perfunctory, he was surprised when he was still moving. It all seemed so automatic, just the same motions he had gone through so many times. When he had fought Kanryuu, Jinei, Shishio, Nishiwaki and Genwa. He knew was it was before he had even reached it. They were just villains, just names and scars.

The night air had chilled Kenshin to a point where he still hadn't warmed up again. He wasn't sure he wanted to. It was the only thing that kept him from being completely unfeeling. Completely numb.

Kenshin knew that in a few moments, when he had reached the top of those twisted, gnarled stairs, he wouldn't be thinking this way. He would see _him,_ Enizu, and everything would be different. Everything, inside and out, would be in a long, chaotic battle. And it would feel like it would never cease. And he would see Naruku.

Kenshin didn't know what to think about that one. It seemed weeks since he had seen her. It seemed he had spent years trying to find her, trying to reach out to her through the distant night and tell her to hold on. What had he last said to her? He couldn't even remember, but he knew it didn't matter. He knew that what mattered were the words he _hadn't_ said to her. And what mattered was bringing her back to him, so that he could say those things.

He wondered if she knew he was there. He hoped so, if only to make himself feel better. For her, he would play the part of rescuer, one last time.

_"You remind me to forget all the bad things."_

Kenshin started up the stairs, slowly but purposefully. His sleeve brushed against the banister as he turned around on the landing. The flight of stairs continued in a zigzag pattern up to the second floor.

When Kenshin was halfway up, there was a thunderous _boom_, loud enough to shake the entire first floor of the castle. Kenshin didn't even flinch at the sound or the sensation of the floor swaying beneath him.

-

Misao jumped as she heard footsteps coming near her. She relaxed when she looked up and saw Soujiro's eyes staring down at her, a gentleness present in them that Misao had never seen before. He almost looked regretful. He helped her to her feet without a word.

Misao had no idea where he had gone to for the last thirty minutes, but she was in no position to ask. He was her only lead to Naruku.

No, scratch that, he was her only lead to Enizu. Because Aoshi knew exactly where Naruku was. But Misao realized that the importance rested with their enemy, not their friend.

She walked silently behind Soujiro, looking downcast and anxious with her eyebrows knitted and her jaw clamped shut. Soujiro stopped, suddenly and help out a hand to halt Misao's steps. She looked up at him. He pushed one branch of a woody pine tree and revealed in the distance, a building so grand that Misao had a hard time believing it existed at all.

"Castle Edo," Soujiro told her gravely.

"This is where Hannya-kun died," Misao told him solemnly. It didn't matter, but she felt like saying it would bring her strength.

Soujiro didn't say anything, instead motioned wordlessly toward the gate in front of them. It was huge and towering, made out of thick, tarnished steel. Two unconscious guardsmen were sprawled in front of it, one guardsmen whose leg lay between the two doors of the gate, holding it open.

Soujiro stepped out of the trees and Misao trailed behind him, looking on wondrously.

"Someone got here before us," she said quietly. "…who?"

"It could have been Himura-san," Soujiro reasoned as he carefully shoved one of the guards away with his foot.

Misao paused. "So…then do you think he could be fighting Enizu already?" she felt a chill as she said his name. Enizu. She didn't even know him.

Soujiro didn't say anything, but pushed open the gate a few inches more for their easier access. Misao went in first.

And suddenly, being on the other side of gate made her afraid. She didn't say anything or give any indication. It wasn't because of her pride, but because she knew her fear could not help her. Once Soujiro was beside her, she began walking down the long stretch of dirt road that lead all the way to the castle. Soujiro walked beside her in silence. She quickened the pace, and soon she was flat-out running, her feet flying over gravel and pine trees flashing by on either side of her.

It was not until she had run up the steps and was at the front door that she stopped.

She swallowed, trying to get her dry throat to work. "Well?" she rasped, aware of how profusely her hands were sweating.

Soujiro wordlessly pushed open the front door to reveal a clean marble hallway that lead to a massive pair of stairways. Misao stood transfixed at the door. Soujiro took her by the arm and led her through the main hall and down one of the hallways that branched off of it. Even as they were continuing down the new hallway, Misao's gaze was still trying to follow the large staircase located at the end of the main hall.

A loud _boom_ resonated in her ears and caused the ground to swing underneath her. She jumped.

"What _was_ that?" she asked in a hushed whisper, turning her eyes back to Soujiro. Her eyes widened when she realized Soujiro was kneeling on the floor and had unearthed a trapdoor on the ground.

Without a word, Soujiro placed his hand on the perimeter of the trapdoor and dropped into it, everything but his arms disappearing into the dark abyss. Misao's question was left unanswered, but she barely remembered asking it at all.

"Misao!" Soujiro's urgent voice echoed upwards, beckoning Misao to follow him.

Unsure of what to do, Misao placed her hand over his. To her surprise, Soujiro's hand grasped her own and with a sharp tug he sent her toppling down the trapdoor after him.

She was aware of a loud screaming noise coming from her own throat as she fell. Her scream was abruptly silenced when Soujiro caught her effortlessly in his arms. She suddenly noticed how utterly and blindingly pitch black it was where she had fallen.

"You didn't have to do that, you know," she told Soujiro irritably, expecting him to set her down at once.

When he didn't, she was puzzled.

"We don't have a lot of time," Soujiro said quietly. He didn't move and for a moment the only sound was the faint dripping noise that came from far off. "I don't exactly know my way around here."

He still didn't put her down and she was starting to feel a little awkward.

"Where _is_ here?" Misao questioned.

"Here," Soujiro began, arranging her more comfortably in his arms. "Is underneath Castle Edo. It was a tunnel built by Enizu very recently."

There was that chill again.

"Oh," Misao heard herself say faintly. Her eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness and she suddenly realized what Soujiro meant by _tunnel._

It was truly a cavern carved out of the dirt. It was rocky, unsafe and looked fit for rats and lizards, not people. It sloped up wildly on both sides, but only for a short distance.

"Well, I guess there's nothing to it than to just pick a way and keep going," Misao piped cheerily.

Soujiro nodded. He closed his eyes and in a flash he was standing on the sloped ground about two meters from their original location. He was almost parallel to the ground. He situated Misao in his arms as he took another step upwards. Leaning forward, Soujiro loosened his grip on Misao and placed her at the crest of the slope as he scrambled up himself. He kneeled next to her and they exchanged a glance of foreboding. But Misao had been right—the only thing to do was to keep going.

-

_BOOM._ All the guns went off within the same millisecond, aimed right at them.

Sano's fist his the ground at the same time. He shoved Aoshi back with his left hand and watched in satisfaction as the broken granite tiles flew up in front of them, creating a wall between them and the gunmen. Silver and copper bullets clattered uselessly to the ground in front of Sano.

Before the rock had even completely cleared the air, Yahiko and Kaoru sprung forward, bokken and shinai in hand. The entire squad of gunmen had either lost their guns, or were unconscious before anyone thought to fire another shot.

Kaoru's bokken descended with a loud crack onto the last one's skull. She glanced behind her at Megumi, coughing delicately beside Aoshi who was staring back at Kaoru with a deeply astounded and impressed face.

She grinned as she pushed forward with Yahiko. Sano allowed them to lead, hanging back with an arm around Megumi. Aoshi strode quickly and gallantly in front of them.

"You don't need to baby me," Megumi said irritably to Sano as they walked briskly through the hallway.

"I know," Sano replied. "I'm worried about you. This is the place of your nightmares."

Megumi was speechless. She stared at him blatantly, her face frozen in a look of astonishment. Sano opened his mouth to speak again.

"Sagara-san!" Aoshi barked.

Sano looked up and realized that their little group of fighters had suddenly been confronted by a much larger battalion of guerrilla warriors. There had to be at least thirty warriors backed up in the passageway, all decked out in samurai gear, painted faces, and matching black topknots.

Not even a dozen of the warriors could squeeze up front to fight them.

Quickly calculating, Sano figured on about three waves of forces they would have to beat before they'd be done. And each wave had three times as many fighters than Sano and his friends had. These were odds he liked.

Though he was rearing to join the battle, Sano remembered to kiss Megumi on the cheek before he left her side and joined up with Yahiko, Kaoru and Aoshi.

"Ho!" Kaoru cried, making the first attack by lunging forward to attack a red-armored one with her bokken.

He blocked and everyone else froze. These fierce, ruthless warriors were carrying bokken as weapons.

Kaoru immediately jumped back to reassess the situation. The warrior she had attacked took this as an opportunity to take a short, stiff bow.

"It is rude to begin fighting without introducing yourself," he recited. "I am Mongkut Ghul, and leader to this troop of samurai warriors."

Yahiko looked at him shrewdly. "You aren't samurai," he told them matter-of-factly. "You aren't even Japanese."

Mongkut bowed his head. "Aye, it is true. We are only the beggars and slaves of the Mongols. But to Takeda-san, we are samurai warriors."

Impatient, Sano sent a flying punch to the speaker's face. Mongkut only barely dodged.

"Hneh," Sano chuckled. "Play samurai all you want, I don't care. I just want this fight to begin." And he threw another punch. This one Mongkut caught, skidding backward somewhat.

Sanosuke kicked high, aiming right for his head. Then they were engaged in an all-around battle, a flurry of fists and feet. Even Mongkut's bokken found its way into the fight.

All around them was fighting. Yahiko, Kaoru and Aoshi worked to hold off the fighters that poured into the hallway as quickly as they got rid of them. Aoshi sliced through his third, knowing the swings of his kodachi and knowing that one was not fatal, nor was the next. He knew Kaoru would be proud, if only she could stop to gather her breath.

"They use wooden swords!" Kaoru yelled between strokes. "Do you think…Enizu isn't trying to stop us at all?"

"Well than what would be the whole point of this little samurai show?" Yahiko retorted, ducking from a headlong attack. There was such a difference in strength and ability between each warrior; Yahiko had a hard time believing they were all of the same unit.

"Maybe—" Kaoru began. She twisted away from a downward stroke and managed to get her own strike in. "Maybe he's just trying to delay us!"

"They're coming in too fast!" Aoshi, who was patrolling at frontline, shouted. "They're getting past me!"

Kaoru's bokken descended almost in unison with Yahiko's shinai as the two Kamiya Kasshin fighters took down their respective opponents. "We have it covered, Aoshi!" she called back. He was too lost in his own skirmishes to reply.

"Keep them away from Megumi!" Sano bellowed. To his horror, two of the samurai shot bullet-like towards the doctor immediately after Sano had said this.

"_NO!_"

A warrior took advantage of Sano's distraction and slammed him hard in the midriff. Sano was forced to tear his eyes away from Megumi as he worked to keep two other warriors from getting past him.

Yahiko was alerted to Sano's protests of concern and shot back down the hall toward Megumi. He froze at the sight that greeted him.

Megumi stood with one foot planted on the floor and the other shoved accurately into the spine of one of the samurai warriors. With her hands, Megumi had pinned the warrior's wrists together and tugged them up as she pinned his body down.

Past her, Yahiko could see another warrior slumped forward into the wall, completely unconscious.

Two more samurai rushed at Megumi. She kicked away the one she had been tormenting and ground her teeth at the new arrivals. One rushed at her, hands outstretched to grab her.

Yahiko came to his senses and quickly took out the other, sending his shinai to impact on his most vital pressure point.

Yahiko then watched in amazement as Megumi coiled herself up and then launched herself, elbow first, at her opponent. He growled at seized her wrists, crossing them across her chest as though she were embracing herself. She dug a heel into the ground and swung around, taking her opponent by surprise. He slammed into the wall. Upon impact he loosened his hold and Megumi broke free.

Regaining her balance and mustering up as much strength as she could, Megumi drew her hand back and smacked the warrior hard against the right side of his skull. The shock was so great that his head slammed into the wall behind him and he was knocked out, probably sustaining a concussion of sorts.

Yahiko just stood there.

Megumi turned and saw him. She was breathing hard and looked frazzled, but proud all the same. "He was pretty weak," she told him.

"That was amazing," Yahiko replied.

Sano swooped in taking Megumi's hand and dashing to the end of the hallway where Aoshi and Kaoru already stood.

There were about five or six warriors shakily getting to their feet, Mongkut Ghul among them. Yahiko made a break for it, darting through and around the warriors, knocking down the ones who remained in his way. By the time he reached the others, he was breathing hard.

"…was _incredible_," Sano was saying breathlessly to an equally breathless Megumi. "But, jeez Megumi! You scared me."

"It _was_ pretty unbelievable," Kaoru piped helpfully. "What you did to those three guys."

"Living among sweaty little girls and headstrong brutes _does_ come in handy," Megumi said airily. No one missed the affection in her tone. Kaoru got angry anyway, only because it was what she did. And Megumi laughed her fox laugh.

"We'd better get inside," Aoshi said, eyeing the doorway to their left. "Unless we want to re-do that battle."

Kaoru flung open the door without even thinking and flung herself inside. The others piled in after her and she heard the distinct slam of the door shutting. The five of them stood there cautiously, eyes adjusting to the darkness.

A lantern in a far corner of the room was lit. From it they could see the contours of the wall around it, where the back wall began. From that they could tell just how big the room was. Fairly big, seemed to be the general consensus. Large enough for a fight to take place. Another lantern was lit.

Kaoru shifted uneasily and stole a glance at the others. Aoshi was the only one within eyesight and he was looking as stoic as ever, except for a shade of determination that appeared to be present in his face. Third and fourth lanterns were light.

A fifth lantern was illuminated and finally they could see the entirety of the room. In the center crouched a single figure, his eyes closed and his knuckles and knees pressed against the wooden floor.

There was a collective gasp from where the group of five friends stood as the stranger stood up to reveal his entirety. He was tall. More than that, though, he looked as though he could block out the sun. He was thick-built and burly with wild, tangled hair matted down his back. He wore a black threadbare gi and black hakama. A thick blue belt separated the two. There was nothing garnished or ornamental about his appearance. If he hadn't been so terrifyingly _big_ then he would have been nothing special at all.

"Which one of you am I fighting?" he boomed. There was something flat and dead about his voice. It took a few seconds, but Kaoru realized it was the lack of audaciousness. This man did not speak as if boasting as she was so used to hearing from villains.

Aoshi stepped forward, his face calm. "I will," he said, partly to the stranger and partly to Kaoru and the others. "I was taught by your friend outside that it is rude to begin a battle without introducing yourself. I am Shinomori Aoshi."

The stranger's expression changed ever so slightly. "I'm Rokuro, but what does it matter? We are both here for one reason, and that is to live or to die."

* * *

A/N: Oh yes. Don't tell me you didn't see it coming. I'm really proud of myself for putting in what I think is the right amount of fighting. Tell me what you think.

So, about the title. I came to the conclusion that this chapter isn't about any one character, it's about all of them getting to Castle Edo by their own devices, and what everyone encounters. I figured, even though they aren't all together they are still united in their fight against Enizu.

This new hit counter thing than fanfiction introduced…I know I said I loved it last chapter…but it's driving me _crazy!_ Because I keep thinking about the other thirty-five people who read chapter seventeen (or at least _looked_ at it) and didn't review. Ergh…Well, on the bright side, it could just be one person reading it thirty-five times!

…forget I said anything. That's not bright, that's depressing. Please review! I know I don't mention it much because I usually _feel_ like everyone's reviewing, but you really just cannot understand how happy it makes me when I get reviews. And how disgruntled I am when I know you read it and you didn't review.

Okay, enough of me being a brat. Here's to the people who continually read and review my stories and give me confidence and inspiration! Huzzah!

**Erica Mandarine: **_Thanks. I always think that Soujiro and Misao are sweet…aww…_

**Crewel: **_Thanks so much; it's lovely to hear that. I know, I'm being stingy with the Sano/Megumi pairing. I already have a plan of how to make it up to you. There's not a whole lot of romance left in this fic since the action scenes took over. Still, I'll try._

**Justagirl8225:**_ Yay! You're back. I love your reviews. You know, I never really though about how it could be ironic…hope you like this chapter as well._

**Zioncross: **_Glad you like it! Rising action can be so fun to write, because no one knows what to expect. Of course, for the climax everyone is expecting a fantastical and epic battle. I'm working on it. Soujiro and Misao definitely have a secret or two…I think Aoshi's pretty much straightforward, though. I'm glad you noticed the bit of tenseness between Soujiro and Misao. It's because they're both hiding something. Okay, if I promise to have Outa show up one more time will you get off my back about it? Haha…just a joke, I really don't mind when you ask for him. He _is_ pretty adorable…_

**Question Marks: **_Koneko means, literally "little cat" or kitten. Glad you liked it._

**Chibi-Assassin: **_Haha, Soujiro's pretty great. And he doesn't really have a motive for being evil. Misao is pretty crucial, but in a way not even Soujiro expects._

**Liem: **_Seemed like that to _me._ I get the feeling that Aoshi is acting like Kenshin a little _too_ much. What with the not killing people and stuff. I suppose I could just say it's because of Kaoru and her influence on him. That part with Misao is actually a scene I came up with in the very early developments of the plot. I like how it came out, I think. I thought you said before that Enizu stopped scaring you…but I can't deny that he's pretty damn creepy. We'll see about Soujiro._

**Cathy Mark: **_Actually, Naruku isn't being kept in Megumi's room…but there is something _very_ important about that room that's coming up soon._

**Mysterious Samurai: **_Thanks. Yahiko's pretty kick-ass most of the time, but you can't forget that he is just a kid. Ooh, you should really read the Megumi Arc, it's actually become one of my favorites (as you can see.) The Takedas are like the worst villains ever. _

**Long Island Grace: **_Okay, so your new penname is really growing on me. I think you're right about Misao and Soujiro. I'm glad you think Soujiro's conversation with Enizu was helpful. It was really difficult to write! I am never writing a double agent character again! (Yes I am.) As for Soujiro having a completely separate agenda…you'll find out. I know _many _people would love to see Enizu mauled. I like how you read so much into Megumi's statement. You got it, though. True, seven chapters is quite a bit…so, okay. Don't think about Naruku and Kenshin too much…that comes later._

**Philia-chan: **_Soujiro makes a perfect genius, don't you think? Soujiro definitely has a _lot_ of pressure on himself._

**Hot Gurl: **_You're so weird. Soujiro is brilliant. Misao is probably going to kill you._

**Someone—love RK: **_Of course I'll keep updating, especially if you keep reviewing. Enizu isn't exactly focusing on Soujiro right now, he's thinking about Kenshin and killing him. So Soujiro can kind of slip in under-the-radar and Enizu probably doesn't even care._

**One and Only: **_That part is one of my favorites. Haha…you crack me up. Yeah, those are probably the only people who could kill Enizu and no one would feel badly about it. What about Rokuro? I'm glad I didn't have to make you wait long. _


	19. Aoshi: What Lies Within

Disclaimer: I disclaim everything.

A/N: So sorry, this was supposed to come out way earlier, like right after I read HBP (finished it on the sixteenth, so sorry it took a week extra!) I'm not sure what happened, but I think it has to do with excessive movie-watching and counter-strike-playing. Plus, I always have trouble with fight scenes. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 19_

_Aoshi: What Lies Within_

**_-_**

**A**oshi kept his eyes carefully trained on his opponent as he reached down to grasp the sheath that held his two kodachi.

But a smaller, cooler hand reached the sheath before Aoshi's did. He could feel this hand pulsing beneath his own. The fingers laced with Aoshi's so that their hands were entwined around his kodachi sheath. And then he could feel Kaoru coming up behind him, her other hand coming to rest on his other side, against his hip. Her forehead pressed slightly against his spine, an act of affection. Was she telling him to go, or was she holding him back?

Kaoru was reminded of another time she had done this very same thing, but the memory seemed fuzzy and badly tuned in comparison to what she was doing now. Once, she had been a little girl, holding back someone she cared about from an uncertain fight.

Now, Kaoru was a woman, not holding Aoshi back, but urging him forward, wishing him luck for an unavoidable fight.

Aoshi turned, slightly, to look at Kaoru who stared right back up at him. He raised his hand and patted her once on the head.

"It will be fine," he said. Kaoru was sure that only she could hear him. Before he turned around again, he opened his mouth to speak once more, "Thank you."

Kaoru stepped back, ready to let him fight in the way he knew how.

Aoshi turned to face Rokuro again, giving no change in his demeanor to indicate that he'd had a tender moment with Kaoru just a few seconds before. Anything, Aoshi knew, could be used against him. Especially someone he cared about.

Rokuro looked like he didn't notice any such encounter. He said nothing, but was clearly waiting for Aoshi to draw his swords.

Aoshi decided it wasn't in his best interest to keep anyone waiting, so he grasped either end of his sheath and produced a kodachi from either side, letting the scabbard clatter to the floor.

"You were the one who fought Naruku," Aoshi said in a bland tone.

"I suppose that means I'm a bad guy," Rokuro said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "But I'm sure you know better, Shinomori-san. A job's a job, and you do what your employer asks, isn't that it?"

There it was. That expression, that look on his face that Aoshi knew all too well. It was as if his own face, as it had been in Kyoto two years ago, reflected back at him. Rokuro fought without regard to life, without fear of death. He fought like an ogre, but the only thing missing was that gleam in his eyes, the flash that represented the willingness to change his very soul just for one fight.

It wasn't there. Nothing was there that would indicate Rokuro cared at all about his life, or what he did with it. Aoshi guessed that if he cut Rokuro down right where he stood, he would not even raise an eyebrow.

It was infuriating. Both men had little desire to fight each other, and yet, there they were.

Aoshi waited for his cue to launch an attack. Rokuro tensed, one foot slid forward a fraction of an inch. Aoshi lunged at Rokuro, kodachi stretched out as far as Aoshi could reach. Two successive strikes of the kodachi landed on Rokuro, one on his hip and one on his shoulder as he turned away, forcing the sword away from Aoshi. Aoshi's movements were like liquid, there was a simple grace there that made it clear Aoshi was not only a swordsman, but a martial artist as well.

"Perfect!" Yahiko yelped from the sidelines. "He may not be Kenshin, but he sure knows his stuff!"

Kaoru had noticed that too. Kenshin may have been able to attack like that defensively. That is to say, he would have begun after Rokuro had attacked. Aoshi was not quite as quick as Kenshin, nor did he pretend to be. By attacking a half second before Rokuro, he had been able to evade the swing of the sword to land two near-perfect blows.

There was something oddly drawn in about Aoshi's attacks. He was not quite fighting defensively, but neither was he attacking with offensive aggression. He was almost like a median between Kenshin and Sanosuke—not so infuriatingly passive as Kenshin was, constantly waiting the fight out, letting himself be attacked and striking back only when necessary. But neither did Aoshi go all out, throwing caution to the wind and forgetting to keep himself guarded, as was the way Sano fought. Aoshi fought cautiously, yet with definite force.

Aoshi attacked Rokuro again, effectively keeping his sword at bay yet again with just one kodachi. The other he brought forward, grazing Rokuro's arm. The blow had not landed as predicted, and the uselessly exerted force caused Aoshi to lurch forward.

Rokuro's sword was coming down quickly, but Aoshi kept his poise. He shifted and brought one kodachi up to block it, successfully regaining his stance.

But Rokuro had yet another trick up his sleeve. With speed Aoshi hadn't thought possible from a man of his size, Rokuro grabbed the base of Aoshi's kodachi and wrenched it forward, causing Aoshi to be unpleasantly put off of his balance.

Then, with strength to match his speed, Rokuro pushed Aoshi off his feet. The onmistu crashed against the floor, and before he could jump to his feet again, Rokuro stepped on his forearm, causing Aoshi to flex his fingers and let the kodachi fall out of his grasp. Rokuro put pressure on Aoshi's arm, slowly shifting all his weight to that foot. Then he grabbed Aoshi's other arm and tugged it upward.

The result was unsurpassable pain. Aoshi barely held in his loud yells of agony as he felt his right arm breaking under Rokuro's foot. He thought he heard a scream, but it didn't come from him.

Blind with pain, Aoshi raised his left arm and let it fly through the air. Anything to make the pain stop. The kodachi, gripped tightly in Aoshi's left hand, slashed at Rokuro's back. The cut was enough to get Rokuro off of him, which was all Aoshi needed. He jumped to his feet, so quickly that he felt his head throb. He held his left arm out, keeping Rokuro away long enough for Aoshi to focus.

He heard frantic whispers, movements and then a heated yell behind him. It didn't matter. His eyesight zeroed in on Rokuro. Broken arm or no, Aoshi would win. He lunged forward, twirling the kodachi around before sweeping it upwards to catch Rokuro in the ribs. Without missing a beat, he jumped back, barely evading a counter-strike by Rokuro's sword.

"Well?" Rokuro said, in a voice leaded with bitterness. "Aren't you going to call me on that, agree with your friend and say I played dirty?" he jerked his head at Sano who, indeed, looked very enraged.

Aoshi did not cast a glance behind him. "No. You did what you did in hopes to win the fight. You took away my ability to make most of the attacks that could finish you. I am a better swordsman than you, so you handicapped me. There is nothing dirty about that, it was your only chance of winning."

Aoshi's voice was not arrogant, and he knew that Rokuro would not deny any of it—it was true after all, and both men agreed.

Rokuro made a sound, somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle. "I like you." With that, he rushed forward and swerved to Aoshi's right—the side with the injured arm. Aoshi anticipated this and jumped backward, turning his body so that the kodachi in his left hand clashed with Rokuro's sword. The two weapons pushed against eachother, and Aoshi knew that his one-armed grasp would never survive against Rokuro.

He released his sword from their deadlock and attempted to make a blow to Rokuro while he was still recovering from their thirty-second showdown. Unfortunately, during the split second that Aoshi left himself open, Rokuro struck and caught him in the gut. Blood spilled and Aoshi backed away, breathing with difficulty. If he'd had his second kodachi, that never would have happened. He would have been fully guarded.

Aoshi raised his cold blue eyes and stared at Rokuro furiously. If only he could over come his handicap…if only he could…

Aoshi struggled to get himself in a stance that even somewhat resembled offense. His right arm hung uselessly at his side, a hindrance, a weakness he'd never dealt with before.

Over Rokuro's shoulder he caught sight of Kaoru, a blazing look in her eyes. But there was a slight upturn to her lips, as if she were trying not to laugh. Aoshi understood. She knew the end of a fight when she saw one. Or perhaps it was Aoshi and his own expression—Kaoru knew all too well the look of a fighter who was not about to give up.

Aoshi straightened, held his kodachi in front of him, almost perpendicular to the floor. He waited.

There it was again. That telltale rigid stance, one foot would soon slid forward. Not wanting to give Rokuro a running head start, Aoshi made his move before Rokuro's foot so much as twitched. He launched the kodachi out of his left hand moving off to the side as he did so. The kodachi shot through the air, coming at Rokuro dead center. The kodachi was within Rokuro's blind spot before he could even think. Quickly, he ducked to his left side, avoiding the kodachi by inches.

"Missed," he said gruffly, turning back to where Aoshi had been standing, expecting to see him there, disappointed that his last-ditch plan at victory had not worked. But Aoshi was not there.

"Not quite." Aoshi was on Rokuro's right side, his blade at Rokuro's throat. Rokuro's eyes widened—he was backed up against the wall, a kodachi at his throat, his sword hanging at his side, useless. He was beaten; he could not keep himself alive any longer, even if he had wanted to.

"But," Rokuro felt no need to go on. He glanced down; there was Aoshi's kodachi, implanted firmly in the wall at which Aoshi had thrown it.

In Aoshi's hand was the second kodachi, which he had snatched off the ground the moment he had thrown the first blade. With one hand, he had been able to use both blades.

"You are a great swordsman, Shinomori," Rokuro said, his voice deep. He closed his eyes, almost blissfully. "It would be an honor to die by your hand."

He heard steps, running steps, towards them. A gasp and then a scream that died in its owner's throat.

Aoshi felt himself smile somewhat. Quite plainly, he replied to Rokuro's statement, "It would be an honor if you lived by my hand."

Rokuro opened his eyes and looked disbelievingly at Aoshi. There was no longer a blade at his throat. "I thought you were just like me, Shinomori-san," he said slowly. "A will only to fight, and lives, even our own, could be taken for granted."

Aoshi looked at him. Rokuro noticed that behind him, the young girl with blue eyes stood still, staring at the two fighters.

"Now I see that I was very wrong. You are a far better man than I ever was. I could not believe in the power of my own hands, or my own words. I am insignificant in the scheme of things.

"There is only one person who ever made me think differently, and she's sitting upstairs, waiting to be saved."

Aoshi's eyes narrowed. "Naruku?"

Rokuro laughed, but it was a pitiful laugh that became a cough midway through. "Yes. That girl said something to me that made me realize how much I could matter if I wanted to. How much my life could mean to someone, as something more than a hit man."

"What did she say?" the tentative question did not come from Aoshi, but instead it was the black-haired girl behind him that uttered it.

Rokuro turned to her. "She told me not to leave. And that she was scared. She knew I was her enemy—she fought me, even. But she still saw me as a person who could make his own decisions. A person who could be different from…from him."

"Enizu?" it was Sano who spoke this time. He had been creeping forward and now stood behind Kaoru, staring intently at Rokuro. Behind them, Megumi and Yahiko stood, also looking on with mixed interest and pity.

Rokuro turned to Sano. "Yes. Different from Enizu. She said that too, that I wasn't the same as him. It wasn't until later…" he paused for thought. "It wasn't until just now that I realized how important that was to me."

"Well it should be!" Sano exclaimed suddenly. "Enizu is a bastard. Who'd ever want to be compared to him?"

A nervous chuckle escaped almost everyone else in the room. Even Rokuro smiled, though it was clear he was out of energy. "I will do anything I can to get you to her. Unfortunately, my fight with you, Shinomori, has left me somewhat exhausted. I can't fight alongside you."

"Thanks a lot, Shinomori," Yahiko said, grumbling in disappointment. "You cost us an ally. Did you have to go so hard on the guy?"

Kaoru bristled at his rude remark. "You think if Aoshi 'hadn't gone so hard on him' Rokuro-san would even consider helping us? That's what I thought," she added when Yahiko immediately clammed up.

Aoshi ignored the two Kamiya Kasshin students and continued questioning Rokuro. "What can you tell us?"

"There are gunmen planted just outside of this room. Beyond that, fighters, but they're armed with bombs. Get to the other side before they can detonate."

"Bombs?" Aoshi repeated, growing more concerned at each moment. "And more gunmen?"

Rokuro laughed. "You've faced a Gatlin gun before, haven't you? So this should be nothing in comparison."

Aoshi dipped his head and replied quite evenly, "Against a Gatlin gun I had four friends who had nothing to live for and would die for me. Now I have four friends who have everything to live for, and if they ever tried to die for my sake, I'd make sure to kill myself first."

There was silence. Then Rokuro began to laugh again, great whooping guffaws. "You're not a cynical man, are you Shinomori?"

Aoshi bowed his head again. "I would lay down my life for every single person who stands beside me, but I could never allow them to do the same for me. Now, what else can you tell us?"

"Enizu'll be waiting in the ballroom. He only has eyes for fighting Battousai, and if things go as planned, that'll be the only one he does fight," Rokuro said grimly. In the doorway, Yahiko snorted dubiously.

"Himura?" Aoshi asked, balking slightly.

Rokuro's eyes darkened. "Yeah."

"Is he—here right now, then?" Aoshi asked uncertainly.

"I should think so. You'd better get a move on," Rokuro said, gesturing to the doorway across the room.

Aoshi nodded and moved toward it, Kaoru close at his heels. Sano and Megumi followed. As Yahiko was passing Rokuro's collapsed form, he heard a whisper.

"Good luck to ya."

When he looked back, Rokuro was unconscious and Yahiko was facing a corridor of new adversaries.

-

Naruku woke up to hardwood floor pressing up against her ribs uncomfortably. She was sprawled on the floor of that monstrous room, with no recollection of how she had gotten there, or even of falling asleep.

Her senses returned one by one, in order of least importance, or so it felt. The first thing she became aware of was the vile taste in her mouth—acidic and tart, as if spoiled cabbage had been in her mouth for hours.

She breathed in and air filled her nose. It smelled mostly of polished wood and dusty floors, but the tangy scent of ginger also lingered there, and she realizes it must have been from her own skin and the perfume she wore. Another scent, which could only be described as the smell of new fabric, loitered around her nose and mouth, seeming unsatisfying out of place.

As Naruku tuned into the sounds around her, a loud clamor woke her up completely. It was noisy and repetitive, successfully blocking out every other sound surrounded Naruku. She wished she could go back to sleep, or bury herself to get away from it.

It suddenly struck Naruku was kind of situation she was in. She was at Castle Edo, currently at the mercy of the only person she loathed—Enizu. Her eyes opened but she was met with nothing but darkness. She blinked several times, but no shapes emerged from the obliterating dark. It then occurred to her that she had something wrapped around her eyes, a blindfold.

She groped blindly at her face, wanting nothing more than to see again, and for that loud noise to stop.

The blindfold was quickly tugged off her face, and she was instead met with a most unwanted image—Enizu's face, grinning evilly just inches from her own.

"Ah, so the prize has awakened. Good."

Naruku closed her eyes and felt Enizu moving away from her. She held in tears, but they had already seeped out, gluing her eyelashes into triangles. Covering her face with her hands and breathing in heavily, Naruku struggled to sit up and discovered she had very little mobility in her legs. Finally, she managed to get to her knees. Her hands flew away from her face and her jade green eyes were left uncovered.

The reason for her immobility was discovered when Naruku looked down. She was surprised to find that instead if her oversized, butter-yellow gi, she was clothed in what looked like the proper attire for an extremely rich geisha.

Her upper body was forced into proper posture by a constricting furisode made of a heavy white material that seemed to be tinted with a rosy color. It floated against her skin, dipping between her collarbones and folding down from her shoulders, exposing the pale milky skin of her shoulders and the tops of her breasts. The obi, a deep midnight blue, was tied very tightly and intricately around her middle. It was adorned with colorful accessories, one of them a snow-white obi-jime that looped stylishly around her, the ends dangling down to her midriff.

The sleeves were long and lay spread out of the floor behind her, joined also by the brick-red of Naruku's hair, undone from its usual twist and now piled neatly at her thighs.

Despite the heaps of fabric, Naruku could not help feeling very bare and very small. She looked down at her hands, at the comforting sword calluses there. Those rough bits of skin were practically the only part of herself that Naruku still recognized. She clenched her hands, letting them turn a sickly yellowish-white at the knuckles.

Two of Enizu's fingers ran across Naruku's jaw and down her bare neck. She did not turn away, but instead stared at his detestable features, noticing how each of his movements made her hate him more and more, until she could hardly stand it.

"Our visitor will be in soon," Enizu said, abruptly moving away from Naruku. She kept her eyes trained on him as the loud banging sounds coming from outside intensified.

A 'visitor,' he said. She no longer cared what that meant. Half the crime-lords in the world could be seated in that very room and she wouldn't care.

An explosive crash hurtled into Naruku's ears and she jumped at the sound. Then she realized how very quiet it had become and her curiosity got the better of her. She turned toward the doorway.

Before she could catch a glimpse, Enizu, who stood on her left side, had kicked her harshly into the wooden floor. "You will _bow_ to our guest," he spat at her.

She braced herself against the floor, hanging her head and letting the tears seep out. Then she heard something that almost stopped her pounding heart.

"Naruku-dono, I'm here."

Naruku slowly looked up. Kenshin stood amongst the debris of what had once been grand double doors. His violet eyes looked at her, only her, as if Enizu wasn't even there, as if Kenshin couldn't see him hovering around behind Naruku.

Naruku was too awed to speak, she wanted to badly to rush over to where Kenshin stood and let him take her in his arms. She stayed put and kept her gaze on him, as though looking away would cause him to vanish.

His own eyes lingered on hers for a moment longer before adopting a hard, steely look as he shifted his gaze to Enizu.

"Your cruelty will not last a moment longer, that it will not," Kenshin said, his voice taut and fierce with a deep boiling anger. "This ends now."

* * *

A/N: So badass. Okay, so I know the Aoshi and Rokuro fight wasn't as exciting as maybe it could have been. I like to think I did an okay job with it, I mean, I'm pretty satisfied for the most part. 

As for the second part of this chapter, well, that's another reason this chapter took so long to come out. That scene has been in my head since the time I first started planning this fic, so naturally I needed it extremely fine-tuned and perfect. I don't know if I achieved that, and I doubt it, but I am pleased with it. And I know it took Kenshin an unnatural amount of time to get from the staircase in the beginning of chapter eighteen to the ballroom at the top of it in the end of this chapter. That's explainable, and you'll see why next chapter.

Thank you all for your incredible, lovely reviews, they have really kept me going and inspired.

**Crewel: **_You are the first, yay! I'm glad you liked that part with Megumi, I thought she deserved it. I'm sorry there won't be too many more SxM moments, since the action is really starting to be the focus. Love getting your reviews, though!_

**Justagirl8225: **_Glad you liked it…I thought Megumi stole the show a bit after reading most of my reviews…haha, oh well, she did deserve it, didn't she?_

**Long Island Grace: **_I'm not really sure where that quote came from either…Aw, thanks. Since descriptions are numerous in this chapter, I'm glad you like them. Haha, now that I think of it, you're absolutely right. I should really update my site, shouldn't I? I'll get on that soon. I didn't want everyone to think that Megumi kicking ass was too unbelievable, but I wanted her to shine, too. Thanks!_

**Leona Westley: **_I hope you liked Aoshi's fight, and I'm glad you liked the bit with Megumi. What do you mean 'lighten my mood?'_

**Yuna: **_Aw, thanks. And yeah, I did start to slack off, my apologies! I won't do it again. Aw, thanks. Your idea for Enizu has its appeal, but I've already excessively planned that scene. Hope you like it when you get to it. _

**Another Baka: **_thanks._

**Mysterious Samurai: **_I have been keeping Kenshin's and Naruku's relationship pretty neutral for this fic (until about now) but I hoped that you'd see a bit of how much they mean to each other. Don't worry, Soujiro has his part, and it's coming soon._

**One and Only: **_Um…no comment! I hope you liked the Aoshi vs. Rokuro fight this chapter. Don't worry, you'll see what happens with that fight soon enough. You're a little bit on the right track, though. Haha, glad you caught the time-frame thing, I'm not sure if anyone else did. Or they just didn't mention it. Anyway, yeah, my personal brainchild._

**Seta Misao: **_thanks. Yeah, Soujiro's pretty awesome pretty much always. Sano and Megumi have been together the longest in my series, so they're pretty comfortable around each other. Both are fine, by the way. _

**MSN-chan: **_I love hearing from you, your reviews have gotten increasingly long, which is excellent. Whew, a lot to say. Chapter fifteen: Well, the back story with Sou is that after he killed all those guys while defending Misao, Enizu approached him. He knew who Enizu was because Misao had spoken about him. He's just playing dumb with the others when he's acting clueless about Enizu. I'm also glad you liked the Aoshi and Misao clarification. _

_Chapter sixteen: you hit the nail on the head about Naruku. I'm surprised that you compared Rokuro to Anji, but it does make a bit of sense. Kenshin's pretty strong, but he has his troubles while fighting, and I don't think this is any exception…_

_Chapter seventeen: Hahaha, I'm glad you caught on about the room where Aoshi came from, but don't go having any r-rated thoughts about them. Ha! Good speculation about Soujiro, but I won't say a word on the matter. I'm so glad you're so interested._

_Chapter eighteen: Of course I'm not tired of seeing you, I love your reviews. Soujiro is definitely being a bit secretive, and it may take a while to find out his true intentions. Actually, Sano and Megumi aren't married…yet. Ha! Well she was pretty cool. Hm, a lot of people seem to think Kenshin and Soujiro should team up._

**Liem: **_I had so much trouble naming that chapter, I'm glad you liked it. Most of the action was with Kaoru and the others, but then, that kind of makes sense, doesn't it? Glad you liked the Mongol warriors as well, it just sorta popped into my head, but they portrayed what I wanted them too. (Which is yes, indeed, Enizu went through a lot to plan this duel.) Sorry about the fox laugh (hahaha). Ohhh…I'd better duck for cover, I left the same kind of cliffhanger. Sorry!_

**Question Marks: **_Pretty much, yeah, you're right. (darn!)_

**Anonymous Freak: **_Sorry! I'm back, though. Glad you care so much about Naruku. Haha._

**Pissed Girl: **_You've been reading my fic for a year? Thanks!_

**Zioncross: **_Woohoo, you're back. I'm glad you like the build-up, it's quite fun to write, actually. Great dialogue? Awww, thanks. You're right, Misao doesn't completely trust Soujiro yet, but she knows he's her best bet to getting to the center of it all. Luckily, Kenshin's a lot smarter (or stronger) than he gives himself credit for. _

**Wood Worm: **_Glad you like it, they're my favorites too!_

**Philia-chan: **_Come on now, I wouldn't really make Aoshi loose, would I? _

**Kie-san: **_I'm so glad you've finally started on this fic. Wow, I'm happy you like it so much! All the pairings have been a blast to write. And somewhere deep down, I actually appreciate the fact that you don't like Sano/Megumi so much because then I don't have to feel guilty when they don't get a lot of romantic moments. In fact, this should make you happy, my Sano/Megumi plotline is mainly just Sano. Yay. I hope you'll come back and read more soon._

Wow. That's a _lot _of reviews, you guys make me so happy to check my mail. I'm sure I don't need to brainwash you further to realize how very important your comments are to me. Please leave some! Thanks.

Hopefully, I'll get working on chapter 20 ASAP (wow, chapter 20 already? I never thought this fic would be so long!) It should be pretty epic, so stay tuned.


	20. Soujiro: A Second Prisoner

Disclaimer: I own Rurouni Kenshin no more than I own the west coast of the United States. Which, needless to say, I don't. Solar power, anyone?

A/n: I meant to get this chapter out a lot sooner, but life caught up with me. I also meant for this chapter to be a lot better than it is. Boo. Anyway, I like it okay, but it's not exactly one of my favorites. I mean, there's nothing too great or memorable or interesting. Sorry.

I've decided to do author responses before the chapter, instead of after. It's just a lot less confusing.

**Justagirl8225: **_I'm glad you think so. I never can find the right balance between the tactics and the philosophy in a fight scene…but I'm glad you think I did a good job!_

**Liem: **_I'm glad you're so excited for updates! I like all of your speculation, that's pretty much exactly what I was trying to convey. That quote has been in my head ever since I first decided Aoshi would be fighting Rokuro. I love it too! Naruku actually dressed herself in a kimono, but you're not really supposed to know that quite yet. (It doesn't matter, but I haven't said it so there you go.)_

**Another Baka: **_great!_

**Crewel: **_Hope you like the eeny bit of Sano/Meg in this chapter!_

**Zioncross: **_Always delighted to hear from you. Reading Harry Potter insanely quickly is like, my forte. I agree with you about the fighting between Rokuro and Aoshi—I've lost the ability to convey movement and fighting in few words. Sorry! _

**One and Only: **_It's true, we've never _really _seen a fight in which Aoshi kicked butt. That was part of my motivation for writing that one. I'm glad that you liked the last part with Naruku…it was supposed to be kind of creepy, and I'm glad I could get such a reaction out of you!_

**Kie-san: **_I'm sooo glad you started reading this…I'm sorry that you thought I was finished, I don't know why that would've been. Sorry! I'm also sorry for screwing up your name that once…I ALWAYS do it (not so much anymore, I've trained myself out of that habit!) I'm so happy that you're rooting for Kenshin and Naruku. That's really the toughest part of an OC, wouldn't you say? Also, you're right, this is a little bit like the Jinchuu arc. I guess like how WoM (terribly) mirrored Kyoto, this fic mirrors Jinchuu. Except, of course, for the main detail, which is that we HATE Enizu. We LOVE Enishi. (I thought of Enizu before I even knew about Jinchuu…a LONG time ago, yes. I asked my sister if she thought it sounded evil and she said, wholeheartedly, that it did, so I kept it.) Eww…fetish._

**Genki Ninjagirl: **_I think you're questions about Soujiro and Misao will be answered very quickly. Thanks for your review!_

**Smiling Blue-clad Wanderer's: **_I know, poor Aoshi…I think Misao is just a bit defensive because of what Yahiko said about Soujiro…she's having a rough time, as you'll find out._

**Question Marks: **_The thing about Naruku is that Enizu really and truly freaks her out. Anyone else, yeah, she would have slapped had they kidnapped her and tried to throw her around. Enizu, however, is a different story. He's not only her enemy but kind of the personification of everything in her that's miserable. It's really just too much for her._

Sorry for the length…Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter.

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 20_

_Soujiro: A Second Prisoner_

_-_

**M**isao squinted into the dim cavern, trying to look ahead for any sort of clue about what was coming next. Beside her, Soujiro held her hand and whispered comforting words as they picked their way through the tunnel.

"If there's anything I could possibly hate more than damp, soggy tunnels that smell like mildew, please tell me what," Misao grumbled, partly to herself. "Really, I'm open to suggestions."

Soujiro smiled apologetically.

Misao rounded on him. Apparently the smile hadn't been enough to put her off the scent of trouble. "Care to explain to me exactly what is going on and why we're down here?"

"We're rescuing Naruku-san," Soujiro replied easily.

"Isn't that what Himura's already doing? Didn't you say he was here before us?" Misao inquired.

Soujiro nodded. "He may already be fighting Enizu. But he may not. Knowing Takeda-san, he's going to be keeping Himura-san waiting. I think he's probably locked Himura-san out of the ballroom on the second story…that's where Takeda-san is. Until Himura-san breaks down that door, Naruku-san isn't even close to being rescued. This is the only way to get to the ballroom without having to break open six hundred pound oak doors."

Misao only really heard one part. "What do you mean '_knowing Takeda-san?' _You don't—I mean, you _shouldn't_ know anything about him! So how do you know all…all this _stuff?_" Misao asked, not caring if she sounded suspicious. She was rather suspicious, but if Soujiro cared enough, he'd just tell her the truth. If he trusted her.

"Because," Soujiro began unsurely. "I've been working with Takeda-san for the past two weeks."

Misao was floored. "You—_what?_" Whatever she had been expecting, it was not that.

Soujiro took a deep breath. "Well it started when we got split up back in February. Takeda-san knew about me because of Shishio. I knew about him because of you. Then in Tokyo I found him again and agreed to join up with him."

"You did no such thing!" Misao wailed. She didn't know what to feel. Anger, confusion, frustration and doubt all seeped into her mind. These feelings were also accompanied by a strange sense of shame, as if she should have known this all along. Clearly Soujiro knew things about Enizu that he wouldn't otherwise, but to actually be _working_ for the sorry excuse for a man? That was simply too much to fathom. There was no way Misao could have suspected that. Though Yahiko, evidently, had.

She shook her head. This was no one's fault but Soujiro's. Well, Enizu's too. "You mean to say that you teamed up with Himura's _most_ hated enemy, the absolute bane of Naruku's existence and therefore _my_ enemy as well, Takeda Enizu! Kanryuu's brother Enizu, the man who—well—_what were you thinking?_" Misao was pretty certain her words were incoherent but she had to shout anyway.

"Shh…" Soujiro whispered. "Not so loud. I did so that I could prevent something like this from happening."

"Something like _what?_" Misao said in a painfully harsh tone. "Like Naruku getting kidnapped? Great job preventing that Sou-chan. _Really_ great."

It was a second before she realized she had used his nickname, _Sou-chan,_ and not in a way to mock him or turn it against him. She had just simply done so out of habit. And that made the entire situation—laughable.

"So you do believe me?" Soujiro asked, a small smile lighting his face.

"Well—I…" she averted her eyes. "Yeah. All right. _Sou-chan._" She burst into fresh peals of laughter, loving the sound of it after such a long night and an extremely tense morning.

"Not so loud," Soujiro said again.

"Why?" Misao whispered, chuckles dying down. "I thought you said—"

He stopped abruptly, causing her to ram into his back.

"Ouch," she muttered, rubbing her nose.

Soujiro whirled around. "Do you hear that?"

Somewhere up ahead there were faint sounds of conversation, annoyed grunts and the shuffle of feet.

"Someone's…up there?" Misao asked, pointing where the tunnel became very sloped.

Soujiro nodded, not taking his eyes off her. Thinking quickly, he whipped his heavy brown cloak off of his shoulders and fastened it on Misao, making sure to heap the fabric over her head so that her face was obscured by shadow.

"What're you…" Misao began, starting to back away.

Soujiro grabbed her wrist and looked her in the eye, deciding to be upfront. "There are men that work for Takeda-san up ahead. Whatever I say to them, just play along and remember what we're here for. Got it?" he left no room for argument.

Misao nodded unsurely.

Soujiro stepped back and looked her over. She was completely covered by his cloak, but somewhere at her hip the fabric stuck out.

"What's that?" he asked, motioning at her hip.

"Huh?" Misao's eyes fell to where he was pointing. She reached a hand inside her cloak and extracted the item from inside. "It's Naruku's sword," she realized, having forgotten about it. "Aoshi-sama and I found it at the place where she was…taken."

Soujiro pursed his lips. "Can I hold it for you?"

Misao looked taken aback. "Yeah, I guess…I don't even know a whole lot of swordsmanship so it should be…" her gaze fell to where she was holding the sword out to him. His hand clasped the very top of the sheath, where it met with the slightly tarnished hilt. Misao's hand still clutched at the middle of the scabbard until she loosened her hold and let it go from her grasp into Soujiro's strong, steadfast hands. It would be safe there.

Soujiro discarded the sword at his belt—a saber. He felt he had no need for it. He attached Naruku's hanashitou to his belt, and liked the weight of it there, in place of the old sword. He unsheathed the hanashitou, marveling at how it slid out like liquid, and inspected it in all of its blunt glory, and then set it back to rest inside the sheath.

"This is a good sword," he said to Misao as they started up the hill.

Misao smiled secretively, her expression unknown to Soujiro because of her hooded cloak.

"Seta-san," a raspy voice infiltrated their ears.

Misao flinched at the voice, but tried not to draw attention to herself. The man who had addressed Soujiro was slumped against the wall, several others there joining him. This particular man, though, was smoking, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Umake-san," Soujiro returned in all politeness.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" Umake asked, letting a stream of smoke billow through his dry lips.

"I had an errand to run," Soujiro replied. Despite his cheeriness, Misao couldn't help but notice the stiffness of his voice.

"An errand…?" there was a smirk on his face. "Does it have anything to do with this wench you've got with you?" With that, Umake seized Misao's wrist and threw her against the wall beside him.

Soujiro froze up. He knew he couldn't say or do anything without arousing suspicion…Misao, on the other hand, was trying to decide whether to bite this 'Umake' or simply kecho kick him…in the head.

"Don't touch her," Soujiro said in a very low voice. It was somehow devoid of emotion, despite how threatening he sounded. "That is Takeda-san's prisoner, and I'm sure he wouldn't be too happy with you messing with her."

Umake blinked and released Misao, who stumbled backward and suppressed the urge to hiss at him. "Takeda's prisoner? What about that red-haired girl? Wasn't she enough to bring Battousai's ass over here?"

Soujiro sneered with as much contempt as he could muster. "Enizu will be facing two enemies this afternoon…as I'm sure you're well aware."

Umake stiffened, as if afraid he would be caught on a bluff. "Oh, of course," he replied lamely. "So this is…er, the other one's bait?"

"Precisely," Soujiro replied. "If you'll excuse me…" he grabbed Misao's wrist and dragged her along behind him, leaving Umake, quite literally, in the dust.

After many twists and turns of the passageway, Misao finally lowered her hood and spoke. "Is Enizu really facing another enemy besides Himura?" she asked in a whisper.

Soujiro nodded. "Yeah."

"Who?" Misao asked, her forehead creased in thought.

Soujiro's entire demeanor changed, his eyes hardening and his smile melting into a look of determination as he answered Misao's question.

"Me."

-

Kaoru felt the smoke searing at her left ear as she skidded down the hall, narrowly missing an explosion of bombs.

"I do _not_ like this…" she said faintly, whirling around to check for other adversaries. It was useless; they were everywhere, bullets flying and smoke filling the air. She could only pray that no one had gotten hurt, no one had been killed.

"Jou-chan!"

A warm hand found her wrist and Kaoru was relieved to see Sano at her side, leading her through the chaos.

"Yahiko's got Megumi with him…neither of us have seen Shinomori, but my guess is that he's doing just fine." He had to shout to be heard over the tumultuous noise.

Kaoru seemed somewhat conflicted to be running away so quickly. Nevertheless the followed behind Sano faithfully, hoping to get away without injury.

Smoke obscured her vision and stung her eyes. She slammed her eyes almost all the way shut and trudged onward. When she felt the smoke clearing she blinked once, twice and found herself face-to-face with a gunman. He was no less than two meters away and holding out his handgun, aiming it at her forehead. She felt Sano's grip loosen as if he was being dragged away from her and she was alone.

The gunman grinned, his teeth yellow and foul, and cocked the gun with a resounding click. Kaoru was frozen to the spot, she couldn't think of a single thing that would get her out of this.

The gunman squeezed the trigger, and Kaoru felt like she was seeing it all in slow motion. Then her senses came back to her, and as soon as she heard the bullet exploding from the gun barrel, she felt a rush of wind and a shadow fell over her. Out of surprise Kaoru stumbled backward, barely keeping herself from falling onto the cold marble floor.

A hand clasped around her arm and jerked her forward. It was Aoshi, he had come, he had deflected that bullet with his kodachi, he was leading her now to safety. As a last explosion went off it Kaoru's ears, Aoshi burst open the door at the end of the hallway. The two of them toppled inside.

Kaoru was as relieved as ever to see Yahiko, Megumi and Sano already there, sitting restfully against the wall. The door behind her slammed shut and she sat up, utterly disoriented. She looked around at the faces of her friends…no one seemed happy, but they weren't sad or in pain either.

Sano and Aoshi both wore frowns.

"What is it?" Kaoru questioned, looking from one to the other. She swung her legs around and sat on her knees.

"I don't suppose you caught a glimpse of the kanji above the door," Sano spoke, his question clearly directed to Aoshi.

"Aa."

They frowned.

Kaoru's eyes flickered to the door. She squinted, barely able to make out the characters etched there. "_The room without space,_" she read aloud. She blinked, looking back at Aoshi and Sano, whose frowns had only deepened. "What's that supposed to mean?"

For a moment neither of them spoke. Kaoru took a glance at Yahiko and Megumi, who seemed just as confused as she was. At least it wasn't just her who didn't have a clue what was the matter with _the room without space._

Finally, Sano spoke up, subsequently moving away from the wall and pacing around the room. "_'The room without space'_ or the 'abyss' was a room in Shishio's hideaway on Mt. Hiei. It was where Kenshin faced the heavenly sword of Seta Soujiro."

Kaoru looked stricken. "What are you saying?"

"He's saying that this proves it! This proves that Soujiro is working with Enizu. We can't trust him!" Yahiko exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Aoshi held up a hand. "Whether or not Seta-san is untrustworthy is a different matter. What this proves is that Enizu expected us to fight him in this very room."

"But…" Kaoru bit her lip. "But he's not here," she said at last, her eyes sweeping the corners of the room as if she were checking for any sign of the boy wanderer.

Megumi looked Aoshi straight in the eye. "Do you think he's coming here to fight us?"

"I can't say."

"He's got to be with Misao," Kaoru realized. "She ran into him on the way over, right? Knowing Misao, she'll stick to him like white on rice. Whether he's trustworthy or not, Misao will deal with him, I'm sure of it!" Kaoru felt a peculiar burst of appreciation for her friend.

"She's right," Sano said, bobbing his head in agreement. "That kid's totally dominated by the weasel girl. No way is she gonna let him screw things up. The main thing now is how we get from in here to wherever that bastard is. Where Naruku is."

Kaoru turned her face from Sano to look over at Aoshi. He seemed worried, in that quiet, stoic sort of way.

"Do you know a way?" she asked slowly.

"The thing is," Aoshi replied after a moment. "This passageway used to lead straight to the ballroom. Now it leads here…to this room." He quickly glanced over at the wall farthest from where he sat. "There's a door there," he proclaimed, standing up and going over to it. He traced the lines with his hand, marveling at how easily it blended into the wall, like it wasn't even there. Wood on wood, the same shades, the same lines.

"It's locked," Aoshi said, pushing on it a little.

"Whaa—?" Yahiko joined him. "I mean, does it—"

"Shh…" Aoshi said, and everyone quieted. "Do you hear that?"

They did. Muffled voices coming from outside the door. It sounded like…

"Ken-san!" Megumi exclaimed. "Is he out there, fighting Enizu?"

Aoshi pressed her ear against the door. "They aren't fighting…Naruku's out there too, it sounds like—"

But what exactly it sounded like they never got to know because at that moment, Sano rushed forward, his fist descending on the door.

"Sanosuke, don't!" Megumi cried, seizing his other arm and pulling him back. "You _can't!_"

Sano whirled, frustrated with Megumi's intervention. "Can't what? Get in the middle of their fight."

"No," Megumi replied indignantly. "You can't use Futaenokiwami! You'll shatter your hand, it's already all bloody from when you deflected those bullets!"

Sano glanced at her and then at his messily bandaged hand. He withdrew. "Right." He then whipped his head to where Aoshi stood, deep in thought. "Can you cut it open?"

Aoshi shook his head sadly. "Not with my right hand arm injured. I can't possibly summon up enough strength to break it open with only one kodachi…and in my left hand. It's impossible."

"Just as well," Sano said offhandedly. "It's Kenshin's fight, after all. That bastard is no match for him."

Kaoru smiled back at Sano. A yelp at her left caught her attention.

"Hey, look!" Yahiko yelled at the door. Everyone turned toward him. "Watch this!"

Placing his hand on one of the flat wooden panels of the door, his slid it aside with a clack.

"It's a window!" Yahiko said, grinning. "Now at least we can see what's going on!"

"You forget, of course, that this building used to be owned by a group of _spies,_" Aoshi said, explaining the peep-holes in the door.

Thoroughly excited by this news, Kaoru and Sano tried pushing aside every other wooden panel on the double doors. Only one other one slid open, this one at a taller height than the first.

Kaoru and Yahiko scrunched up against the first window while Aoshi, Sano and Megumi crowded around the taller one.

"Kenshin…" Kaoru sucked in breath. She could see him, she really could, and Enizu across from him. She hadn't seen him since…since before they even knew he had betrayed Naruku all those months ago. Seeing him there, like that, was a shock to Kaoru. He looked like a normal man…brown hair…brown eyes…a slightly maniacal look on his face. It was enough to make Kaoru's blood positively boil.

And then…at his feet…_Naruku._ Kaoru wished more than anything that she could call out to her. She looked so forlorn…so strained, laying there in that rose-tinted kimono. She heard Yahiko gasp beside her and soon realized why as she heard the sound of metal on metal.

The fight had begun. And now, like so many other times, it was all up to Kenshin.

* * *

A/N: there it is. The big 2-0. Twenty! Chapter twenty! I've never written over chapter twenty so I guess the big milestone will actually be number 21. Hope to have it out soon. Thank you everyone for all your reviews, I appreciate them with all of my heart. Receiving one makes me so much more ready to work on this. I'm hoping to break three hundred with this chapter, that would be awesome! (But I'm not holding out for it!) Thanks everyone! 


	21. Kenshin: Purity and Chaos

Disclaimer: I have 100 yen so I don't die in Japan. However, no RK bodyguards which is what I _really_ need!

A/N: This update is coming to you—tadaa! In the morning. That _never _happens. Also, according to some people, fanfiction is no longer allowing people to reply to their reviewers. That makes me sad, but I'll abide. (I have a petition against it, leave your e-mail and I'll send it to you!) You know I love you guys! Thank you for all the incredibly motivating reviews for last chapter, that really made me happy. Also, I broke three hundred, which in my eyes is super amazing. Thanks to Anithene for being number 300!

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 21_

_Kenshin: Purity and Chaos_

_-_

**K**aoru watched through the spy-hole as Kenshin effortlessly flipped out his sakabattou, deflecting Enizu's initial attack. This wasn't like their first battle, in which Enizu had surprised Kenshin by turning on him, claiming his rights to revenge. This time Kenshin fought on his own accord, to end the fear that Enizu had induced on their lives.

Kenshin continued to parry and thrust against Enizu's attacks, slipping easily into a rhythm of footwork and sword strokes. It was almost beautiful to watch, but to Kaoru it was also concerning. So definite were his blows, so fluent were his movements in the way he lunged forward offensively, deflecting blows and landing strikes so confidently. There were only two other occasions on which Kaoru had seen Kenshin fight like this. Once, long ago, Kaoru remembered him facing off to Jinei, their fighting just a flurry of swords to her. And again, when he had fought Saitou in Kaoru's very dojo.

Both times he had won, but both times he had reverted towards his killing tendencies, becoming Hitokiri Battousai in his own mind. And so, seeing him fight so flawlessly again, Kaoru worried. Was it because of an impatience to win the fight? Or something more…could it have been because of Kenshin's own personal feelings towards Enizu, because of his knowledge of how Enizu treated Naruku? Was there something almost—_murderous_ about how Kenshin was feeling at that moment?

Kaoru didn't know, but with each swing of his sword, she feared that he was, once again, getting closer to the manslayer inside. As much as seeing him like that scared her, it awed her as well.

"This is…" she felt Yahiko gasp next to her ear. "Amazing…"

Kaoru jumped and cast a fearful glance around at the others. All of them had their gazes glued to Kenshin in the other room. It really was amazing. Kenshin was getting in twice as many hits as he should have, blocking all the attacks that came his way. He had never been more ready to take the offensive.

"This is how he fought back then," Sano muttered. "That is how he fought Saitou…how he fought in the Bakamatsu…Kenshin, what is going on in your head?"

At that moment, Kenshin jumped in the air, evading an attack by Enizu's sword. Turning his jump into a flip, Kenshin descended upon his enemy with brutal speed, again missing Enizu's sword and instead landing his own blow on Enizu's back.

Kaoru couldn't take it any more. "_Kenshin!_" she cried, knowing it was a futile endeavor. If someone didn't stop them soon…they would be fighting to the death. And the only one who could stop them at that moment was Naruku. But she was curled up on the floor, clutching at her sides as if holding herself together. Her eyes stared darkly at the fight in front of her, but she did not call out, did not try to stop it.

"Kenshin," Kaoru cried again, but this time her voice was soft, only a whimper.

_Clang!_ The sakabatou met with Enizu's katana, deflecting yet another one of Enizu's attacks. It seemed like Enizu was no match for Kenshin, but neither was backing down. Sano had always said that Kenshin's methods of fighting were a pain-in-the-neck. That did not seem to be so this time, he seemed ready to attack, ready to get the fight over with no words of reconciliation for Enizu's soul. Kaoru worried what this meant for Kenshin's own psyche.

"Amakakeru ryu no Hirameki," Aoshi muttered under his breath. He had remained silent since the fight had begun, amidst Yahiko's gasps of awe, Kaoru and Megumi's worrying and Sano's confusion.

"What?" Kaoru tore her eyes from the spy-hole and glanced up at Aoshi. He seemed to be on the verge of understanding, moving his lips silently as he worked something out.

"Kaoru-san, did I ever tell you about my fight with Himura at Shishio's lair?" Aoshi questioned.

"No…" Kaoru replied, thinking it wasn't the time for a story like that.

"I wanted to defeat Himura Battousai, but he wouldn't become that for me. He told me he would defeat me with his full strength—as Himura Kenshin. He said he had learned a way to draw full power without becoming the Hitokiri Battousai," Aoshi said, speaking solely to Kaoru as if she was the one in desperate need of this information.

"So what are you saying?" Yahiko spoke up, now tearing his vision away from Kenshin's fight.

"This 'way to draw full power' was a battou-jutsu attack called Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. The final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi style," Aoshi continued.

Kaoru nodded, still not quite catching on. "I know, he told me, but what does that have to do with…this? He told me the outcome of the final technique was up to purity of heart…how does that have anything to do with how he's fighting _now?_ He looks like he did when he fought Saitou—like he's back in the Bakamatsu and it's kill or be killed! That isn't the Kenshin, pure of heart, that I know!"

Aoshi shook his head. Seeing Kaoru reduced to near-tears made him sad, which made him angry, which then in turn made him impatient. "You aren't watching him. Watch. Look at him. Look at his eyes."

Without a word, Kaoru turned back to her spy-hole, almost afraid of what she would see there.

Maybe it was all those memories of Kyoto rushing back, or something that Aoshi had said, but suddenly Kaoru was not afraid anymore. Kenshin was fighting in the same way, aggressively, every sword stroke definite and complete in its responsibility.

But as he nimbly deflected Enizu's blow, Kaoru caught a second's look into his eyes, at his face. He was wearing a confident and determined look, the usual expression he had while fighting. What was _un_usual about his face were his eyes. They were not flat, cold amber like Kaoru had feared, and neither were they the pinned, steely blue she was so used to seeing. No, Kenshin's eyes were the same clear amethyst she saw every day, a light in it that reflected what was almost a smile.

Kenshin did not look ready to revert back to his Battousai frame of mind. In fact, he looked as far away from the Battousai appearance as he did while doing laundry at the dojo.

"What, Shinomori, are you saying that…that Kenshin's using the principle of the final technique and applying it to every one of his movements?" Sano asked, the curiosity and pride both apparent in his voice.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Aoshi replied blandly. "Kaoru-san said Kenshin told her that what was important was 'purity of heart.' It remains true. He is able to use full power and also remain his true self because he is so focused on his goal."

"His goal…?" Kaoru echoed.

Sano then spoke up again. "I think I know what he means," he said suddenly. "Kenshin is completely centered on one thing—and it isn't Enizu or his own anger towards him. Right now there is nothing on his mind other than Naruku. He swings his sword not to fight Enizu, but to protect Naruku. In another case, that concentration could lead him to opening the Hitokiri mindset, thinking that he would do _anything_ to protect her. However…now, it seems that Kenshin has come to full grip with the situation and knows exactly what it is he needs to do for her. There is not one dark thought about what Enizu deserves for doing this to Naruku, the only thing on his mind is Naruku herself. And that gives him the ability to use full strength without using the strength of Hitokiri Battousai."

_Purity of heart…_it did make sense. It wasn't like when Kenshin fought Jinei and had been so enraged at the bloodlust Jinei had shown. Neither was it similar to when he fought Saitou, caught up in an age-old rivalry. This was a personal battle, yes, but a battle fought entirely for someone else, and not out of anger or rivalry.

"So then—this fight could be over in just minutes!" Yahiko put in excitedly. "There's no _way_ Enizu can—"

Yahiko went silent for a tense moment as the five of them watched Kenshin shoot forward at Enizu, executing the Kuzuryusen attack.

-

"Hiten Mitsurugi—_Kuzuryusen!_" Kenshin cried as he launched himself at Enizu, performing the attack flawlessly. Every target was hit perfectly, and just like the attack promised, Enizu was given no time to evade it.

Kenshin landed crouching on the other side of Enizu after finishing the attack. He hoped it would be enough to render Enizu defeated—once and for all.

But something told Kenshin differently.

"Very good Battousai—I'm very impressed," Enizu sneered from behind him.

Kenshin turned, recovering from a moment of shock. "You're still standing," he said to Enizu.

Enizu flashed a wicked grin. "I guess I am," he said. "You didn't think a little thing like _that_ would be able to bring me down, now did you?"

-

Through the spy-holes on the side of the wall, Kaoru's blue eyes widened at Enizu's response to the Kuzuryusen.

"How can…how can that _be?_" she wailed. "Kenshin hit him—every mark, perfectly!"

On her right, Sano seemed twice as surprised. "He didn't dodge it—he didn't block it…how could he have simply _resisted _it? He should be on the floor!"

"This has nothing to do with _skill_ if that's what you're thinking," Megumi said. "Well, not skill with a _sword._ Enizu must have spent all these months just working his way back from deterioration to full strength in order to fight Ken-san again. But based on the event of their last fight, 'full strength' was not good enough. Like any determined man, Enizu wanted to become even stronger; to improve on what was already there. Somehow he's conditioned his body to resist even the strongest of attacks."

"What do you mean? No matter how well Kenshin fights, he won't be able to beat Enizu?" Sano asked doubtfully. "That _can't_ be possible."

"I'm not saying it's impossible for Ken-san to beat him," Megumi snapped. "In fact, I have full faith in him. It's just that I don't believe Ken-san has ever faced anyone who used sheer stamina. He may make a mistake," she said grimly.

"A mistake?" Yahiko sounded even more skeptical.

Kaoru cottoned on to Megumi's theory quickly. "He may do something predictable, or something risky. We don't know the extent of Enizu's resistance, and he may be able to turn the power of Kenshin's attacks back on him."

"He seems to be doing just fine," Yahiko replied stubbornly.

Indeed, Kenshin had come back at Enizu with a series of attacks that were both lightning-fast and fiercely strong. But it seemed that no matter how many times Enizu was struck, he did not weaken.

-

And all the while this was going on, Naruku lay in the middle of the floor, her white furisode and her brick red locks spread out around her. Her eyes were squeezed closed, the most inexplicable images surfacing in her mind.

_Naruku raised her pale a stoic face to the window where the morning sunlight filtered through.Sometime during the night a kimono had been laid _outfor her. Part of her wanted to refuse to wear it, the other part realized such petty resistance was futile. It wouldn't help her understand why. Why he was doing this, why he was trying to control her…why Kenshin hadn't come for her yet.

How she longed to see his face, touch the frayed fabric of his clothing, feel his breath against her hair.

Instead of trying to hold onto this whisper of a fantasy, Naruku closed her eyes and slipped the white furisode over her bare body, hating the weight of the material, the constricting obi, how it smelled like everything smelled in that horrible castle—of blood and of _him._

After much difficulty and swearing, Naruku finally tied to obi securely around her. Moments later, Enizu would come in, decorating her and slipping pretty combs in her hair, violating her with his eyes.

For now, though…Naruku grasped the elongated object in the folds of her obi, feeling secure and in control. But only for a moment.

_Naruku's eyes flickered open as she felt the fight drift towards her. Kenshin had landed a firm strike on Enizu's broad shoulders, only to be forced _back by his own attack. He skidded to a halt on the floor of the ballroom, positioning his sword beside him as he ran at Enizu once again, his disposition leaving no room for failure.

"Hiten Mitsurugi _Ryushousen!_"

The sakabatou connected with the underside of Enizu's chin, forcing Enizu to arc backwards and up into the air as Kenshin executed the attack.

Kenshin relinquished his sword and landed on his feet, knees bent. He had been forced further backward than he should have. Another problem was that Enizu had not fallen.

Kenshin had been using Ryushousen since he was a teenager—surely it wasn't imperfect? But Enizu merely grinned and jerked his head to the side, cracking his neck. He raised his sword and held it parallel to the ground, pointing at Kenshin.

"You will finally feel the pain you deserve," he said slowly, a sinister grin spreading on his face.

Kenshin showed no reaction to his words, no hardened stare or even the faintest falter in his stance. Without a word he flicked his sword once, twice before sliding it easily into the sheath. Kenshin knew it was time to unleash the attack that could not be resisted, not even by Enizu. It was an attack that never failed him—_could_ never fail him.

Now right alongside their fight, Naruku stared in shock at what was about to unfold.

"Are you about to show me the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi?" Enizu asked, an ominous curiosity in his voice. "I'm honored."

_Hiten Mitsurugi…final technique? _Naruku gasped. She had never seen Kenshin so focused, so ready to win. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the skirt of her kimono tight in her fists.

There was a loud clack and a bang from the other side of the ballroom, but it was not enough to break either man's concentration. It was enough to tear Naruku's gaze away from their fight, and shift her eyes to the source of the noise.

Two black-haired heads bobbed out from underneath one of the floorboards. It was Soujiro, hoisting himself up through a trapdoor in the floor. Beside him, Naruku knew, was Misao, scrambling through the trapdoor as well. That was all she saw before she was jerked up from her spot on the floor, dragged along into the turmoil of the fight.

-

_The left, he's swerving in from the left, _Kenshin thought as Enizu made his move, almost disappearing from sight as he moved toward Kenshin in the blink of an eye. Hand at the ready, Kenshin felt the force of Enizu's sword aimed at him. Before the strike could land, Kenshin whipped the sakabatou out of its sheath, following its path to his target.

"_Hiten Mitsurugi Final Technique!_"

It was an attack that could not be beaten, could not be blocked. It happened so quickly that Naruku did not have time to think before the blow landed.

-

Shoulders pushed roughly against the thick oak doors, trying desperately to break through. They had to get out there. Had to stop it.

"_No!_" Kaoru shrieked, watching as Kenshin unleashed the Amakakeru Ryu No Hirameki. Enizu's attack had been nothing more than a feint.

His true intentions were even worse. He had gripped Naruku by the shoulder, throwing her between him and Kenshin's sword, which had just begun to execute the final technique. Now Kenshin's sword was millimeters away from hitting Naruku with the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. She would be killed by the force of Kenshin's attack, and he had only just realized what Enizu had done…what _Kenshin_ was about to do. There was too much put into that attack to pull back so suddenly, or even dampen the blow.

He could only watch as, once again, his own sword cut into the flesh of his love.

* * *

A/N: Gasp! Haha….well there's not too much to say here. Only that Kenshin's fight isn't over yet! I know everyone is going to be making tons of wild predictions about what happens. Probably a lot of you will be right. Well, it's true! Oh well, I don't care if _that_ part is too predictable. There will probably be two more chapters of this fic—that's right, just two. Stick around please! 


	22. Naruku: The End of Faith

Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Rurouni Kenshin. But you already knew _that. _What you didn't know is that you can live to be one-hundred and seven.

A/N: I'm sorry for not doing review responses last chapter! I told myself it was because of the new rule, but really I just ran out of time. Thank you so much for your (seemingly) endless support. I really, really appreciate it.

**MSN-chan: **_You sent this review like a second before I posted, so I'll answer. Actually, that's funny because my sister_ just _posted a fic like two days ago. You'd probably like it, it's Sou/Mi. About Enizu…he always used to ACT kind and generous and all that around Naruku…she never would have stayed with him if he became abusive or negligent to her. Only once Enizu first fought Kenshin, Naruku saw how vindictive he was. One of the reasons Enizu is such a weak spot to Naruku is because he was so manipulative to her. That would be cool, about Soujiro and Kenshin, but unfortunately…well, you'll see what actually happens! Don't worry, Enizu will definitely show some vileness…_

**Justagirl8225: **_You're making me blush here…I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you'll like this next chapter!_

**Crewel: **_Aww…thank you so much. No need to thank _me.

**Anithene: **_Lol. Glad you think it's going well—so do I!_

**Babygirl: **_Because it was too good of a cliffhanger to resist! I hope you're satisfied with this chapter._

**Long Island Grace: **_You make me laugh, blush and squeal all at once. Thanks so much for your comments. I'm so happy you liked the fight scene because I was having a little bit of trouble with it, but after a while it just started coming out. The Trust and Betrayal soundtrack helped a lot too! I hope you'll be back in time, too, but do have fun!_

**Random Person, Hypothetic, mikifiona: **_Why 'ow?' I hope that you like this chapter. Soujiro and Kenshin _are _great. :hugs:_

**Zioncross: **_Well, I'm glad I managed to take you by surprise. That's always good. You're probably right, Naruku is not going to be unscathed after this…I think I've made quite a few people speechless…go me! Haha._

**Kie-san: **_Don't worry about the 'lame review' you're second one totally made my day. And…oh my god, how did you know? About the woodland creatures and the oompa-loompas and the chimney:cries: am I _that _predictable? Am I? …damn, I knew I shouldn't have posted that fic. Well, I did that because I had written part of it a while ago during testing and wanted to post it soon…also I was feeling guilty because of lack of Sano/Megumi in this fic. Enizu dying painfully…sounds good to me. But who will kill him?_

**Another Baka: **_Haha, I made another person speechless. Thanks for your review!_

**One and Only: **_Awww, thanks. I'm happy about the Battousai/non-Battousai part, and other people seem to like it too, so that's nice. You are so right about cliffhangers, by the way!_

**Hopeless Lady, Love in War, Wanted2000: **_Thank you so much. I'm sorry I got you worried (well, no I'm not) but I hope you enjoy this next chapter. _

Thank you sooo much I love getting reviews. I hope I get such a great response to this chapter!

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 22_

_Naruku: The End of Faith _

_-_

**M**egumi felt herself being violently jerked away from the spy-hole by a grimy pair of hands. "Hey!" she cried out, whirling around.

A second pair of hands pinned her to the wall.

"Megumi!" Sano yelled, lunging toward her. His advance was cut off when two more assailants grabbed hold of him, pinning his bloodied hands behind his back.

The rest of them, Aoshi, Kaoru and Yahiko, were all in similar positions.

"Kenshin!" Kaoru yelled, her eyes still trying to see the fight that was going on outside.

One of the attackers smacked her in the side of the face. Kaoru's knee jerked up, headed straight for where she knew it would hurt him.

"Struggle and the little one gets it!" a man said, holding a small dagger to Yahiko's cheek. He flinched away from the metal but his attackers held fast.

Megumi felt a similar dagger being pressed to her jaw. She froze.

Sano, who was in the middle of breaking free, ceased movement as well. He couldn't risk it.

"Just what is this about?" Kaoru demanded hotly.

"Your defeat of us was taken a little personally," one of the men grimaced.

"Well I could care less about your pompous superiority complex. I have more important things to do, you bastard," Megumi bit out. "I don't have _time_ for this. I don't care how goddamn arrogant you are, I will _not_ be used as a tool for your ego."

"Listen here you bi—"

"Better not finish that sentence," Sano said darkly.

"Oh yeah?" the man who had been tormenting Megumi sneered, turning toward Sano. "What're you going to do? You can't do anything! You can't even move, _vermin._"

Before Sano could so much as open his mouth, Kaoru took action. _No one _spoke to her friends like that! Eyes flaming, Kaoru stepped on her assailant's foot as hard as she possibly could. Another one grabbed her but she bit his wrist and he yelled an obscenity.

She tried to make a break for the spy holes in the door but one of the attackers slammed her back against the wall. Out of the corner of her eye, Kaoru could see Aoshi struggling fiercely and the other men trying to restrain him. Even with Aoshi's broken arm, it was no easy feat for them

"You're gonna pay for this!" Yahiko shouted loudly, ignoring the fear that coursed through his body.

"Oh yeah?" one of the men said mockingly. "Says who?"

"Says me," a gruff voice responded

All eyes snapped toward the doorway in unison. The sight there was surprising enough to cause Kaoru to stumble into the wall and her attacker to momentarily let go of her arms.

"Ro—mpghhh…" Yahiko exclaimed. As soon as he had made a sound, Kaoru had crashed her hand against his mouth, muffling the noise.

"Kujima-san!" one of the attackers said shakily. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure idiots like you don't screw things up," Rokuro responded, his eyes flickering momentarily over to Aoshi in the corner.

"What are you talking about?" a more gutsy fighter demanded. "Just stay out of this!"

Rokuro's eyes narrowed. "Get back to your positions or taste my sword."

The fighter who has spoken before glared. "Don't tell me these brats won you over."

"Do I _look _easily persuadable to you?" Rokuro shot back. "Get back to your damn positions. _Now._"

Instead, the fighter drew his sword. But before he could take two steps forward, Rokuro launched his own attack, unsheathing his sword with lightening agility and taking the fighter down with one fierce strike.

Five more fighters rounded on Rokuro, but he took them down with ease, slamming all of them unconscious into the walls by the force of his blade. There was bloody spraying throughout the room, and Kaoru could only hope that no one was dead.

The rest of the fighters looked like they were about to collapse from how much they were shaking.

"Anyone else who cares to defy me?" Rokuro asked, his voice hard.

Several heads shook, but most of the rest of the fighters just quivered in fear.

"Get back in the hall, then, and leave them to me," Rokuro said, glancing again at Aoshi.

The fighters fled, much too terrified to notice these significant looks.

As soon as the rest of the attackers left, Rokuro shut the door behind them. He turned back to face Kaoru and the others who were all rubbing their wrists and other joints where their attackers had gripped them too roughly.

"They'll be fine," Rokuro said, jerking his head at the six bleeding men who were slumped along the walls.

Megumi ignored Rokuro's words and kneeled down by one of the men.

"Did you hear me? They're fine. As worthless as they are, I didn't kill them. Bloodshed is not for the eyes of women and children," Rokuro continued, his voice growing louder in frustration.

Megumi stared up at him defiantly. "I'm a doctor. It's my job to take care of those who are wounded, whether they are 'worthless' or not." She didn't wait for a response but instead primly opened her medicine chest and carefully laid out bandages and a cotton pad wetted with alcohol.

Rokuro seemed a little taken aback by Megumi's actions, but inquired no further. Kaoru pulled herself away from the group and ran toward the spy holes in the door. She had too see Kenshin. She had to know that Naruku was all right.

"Don't," Rokuro said sharply, and Kaoru's footsteps slowed and then stopped.

She looked over her shoulder at him, a frosty, bold expression on her face for two seconds before she saw what Rokuro was doing and the look changed to surprise.

"Move," Rokuro said to her, his sword held tightly in his hands. "I can get you through to your friends. You may be able to save them."

Kaoru hastily scrambled away from the door, retreating next to Yahiko. She watched breathlessly as Rokuro ran at the door. His wordless yell rang in Kaoru's ears as his sword split the door with a deafening crack.

It looked like the door had been hit with a cannon, not a sword. Using his bare hands to rip chunks of wood away, Rokuro cleared a sizeable hole in the wreckage of the door. Then he moved aside, as if saying _"That's all I can do for you…the rest is your job." _

Kaoru was the first to step over the threshold, her eyes pinned on what lay on the other side. She felt Aoshi and Sano coming out after her, but it didn't matter. Her mind was in twists as she stared at the scene in front of her, the debris left after the fight.

It was over, Kaoru's mind told her as she looked on.

Kenshin was kneeled on the floor, his eyes darkened and cloudy with the signs of a laden soul, his hand resting on his sakabatou, which lay on the ground beside him. His breathing was harsh, burdened.

On the ground all around Kenshin were kunai, scattered across the marble. Then there was Misao, who crouched on the ground, clutching two of the knives, eyes brimming in tears. Beside her, Soujiro stood, his sword out and hanging at his side. His face was down, and it was impossible to tell his expression.

And then…

Kaoru sucked in breath. Naruku was lay twisted on the ground, looking angelic in the long white furisode. But the canvas of her innocent self was stained with blood. The red life seeped out of a ghastly wound on her side. Through thick red locks Kaoru saw a gash that ran down the length of Naruku's pale face, marring her moon-like skin. The wound bled freely, a stream of crimson blood running all the way across her jawbone, splattering onto her neck. Her eyes were closed, her mouth forming a small line, blocking everything out in an unexpectedly apathetic manner.

As Megumi ambled out of the doorway, she let out a small moan at what her eyes took in.

In the middle of the ballroom Enizu was crumpled on the floor in a pool of his own blood. His eyes were wide open and his lips parted. Kaoru could almost hear the last whispers of life coming from him, those horrid words he had spoken.

On his right side near his arm there was a small dagger, drenched in blood.

Kaoru closed her eyes and let the image wash over her. Her head pulsated in beat with her heart and she felt like the walls were rushing at her, the world growing smaller.

Her eyes flickered open as a noise filtered through the wretched silence.

Soujiro had sheathed his sword and was starting toward Kaoru and the others, his head held low. Behind him Misao clutched her kunai tighter, watching each of Soujiro's steps with a painful expression. Kenshin did not move, his eyes hooded and unblinking.

Soujiro reached the group at the doorway and bowed his head. Then he slowly raised his eyes to meet their questioning gazes.

"What—" Sano began, his voice shaking with an indescribable emotion. "_What happened here?_"

Soujiro held his burning gaze. "I knew we would have to tell you…I knew I should be the one to do it." His fist clenched but then he relaxed.

As Soujiro began speaking, began retelling the tale Naruku never wanted to hear, she let out a small sigh and turned her head away from them, wishing she could not hear at all. But Soujiro's words were bringing her own mind back to that moment.

-

_The next few seconds seemed lost to Naruku. She was there, in front of Enizu, Kenshin's sword_ coming down on her. But for some reason the only thing she could focus on were Kenshin's eyes. They were huge, widened in shock, but still the loveliest color she had ever seen. _To think I might not see those eyes…makes it so hard not to cry._

She felt a wind at her left and suddenly she was being pushed out of the way, thrown to the floor. Where she had been, now another person stood, sword drawn and clashing with Kenshin's battou-jutsu. Naruku recognized that sword.

"My sword…" she said faintly. And the person holding it… "Sou…jiro?"

Beneath inky bangs, Soujiro's face was screwed up in concentration. But he had done it. He had blocked Kenshin's attack, stopped the Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Naruku knew that had Soujiro not arrived at that exact moment, she would be dead. Kenshin might even have been dead. Bailing out on the final technique was very dangerous, but somehow Soujiro had stopped it without fatally hurting either of them.

Kenshin and Soujiro stood with their swords locked for just a split second, and then Kenshin flew backwards and crashed to the ground. At that precise moment, a rain of kunai fell down upon all occupants of the ballroom.

Naruku jumped out of her stupor just in time to avoid one of the knives that was headed for her Achilles' tendon. The kunai cut through her skin slightly before clattering to the ground.

"Misao…"

The kunoichi was standing a few meters in front of Naruku. She was staring vehemently at Enizu on her left. He in turn was wearing the most infuriated expression on his face. His brown eyes burned with a searing hatred.

Naruku could see enough to tell that at least one of Misao's kunai had hit its mark. There was a knife nestled into the bicep of Enizu's left arm. He tore it out with merciless haste and lunged violently at Misao.

"_No!_" Naruku shrieked, pushing herself off the ground and getting to her feet.

Enizu's arm was all the way around Misao's throat, his sword extended in his right arm to fend off everyone else.

Misao's eyes were squeezed shut as she coughed and choked. She threw three more kunai wildly, struggling in Enizu's iron grasp. One of the kunai sailed downwards, barely missing Soujiro's foot by inches. He was excruciatingly winded from fending off Kenshin's monstrous battou-jutsu, but still he turned, heading toward Misao at an agonizingly slow speed, his face contorted in a look of fear and hatred.

Kenshin was almost completely incapacitated and was sprawled on the floor behind Soujiro, sakabatou still in hand. The failed Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki had almost taken his own life, and he was still much distressed from nearly killing Naruku with it…he couldn't get that vision out of his head. A flurry of white fabric, a splash of blood…the sound of a sword slicing through flesh…

Naruku realized at once that it was up to her. Misao had no part in this battle; this was not her sacrifice to make. She could not be hurt—Naruku would not allow it. She took no time in sprinting forward, extremely fast even with the constriction of her kimono. Her eyes were focused on one thing and one thing alone—Enizu.

He had noticed her rushing at him and with a sinister grin disposed of Misao—tossing her carelessly to the side where her body made contact with Soujiro's, toppling them to the cold marble floor in a heap. Misao's head hit the floor with a sickening smack. Soujiro landed hard on his shoulder, and he was sure by the cracking sound that he had dislocated it.

Even with Misao safely out of harm's way, Naruku still came at Enizu, her blood-red hair flying out like a ribbon behind her. Enizu seized her wrists, pulling her small form roughly against him, twisting her around so that she was held with her back to Enizu, facing out at her friends who lay scattered on the floor.

"_Naruku!_" Kenshin cried out hoarsely as he watched Enizu's blade go to Naruku's throat. But it stopped there, hesitating at the creamy flesh.

"Perhaps she should have died at your hands…" Enizu said in a quiet voice.

Naruku whimpered, struggling uselessly against Enizu.

"Perhaps then you would have realized. Seen the wrong in your doings," Enizu spat.

A deadly silence overcame the room. Kenshin struggled to stand, wincing and holding back moans of pain. In the end he remained sitting on the floor, unable to do anything to stop what was about to happen.

"Don't you see Battousai?" Enizu said, lowering his head to graze the top of Naruku's ear with his lips. She closed her eyes, fighting to keep tears away.

Kenshin remained silent, a heated rage flowing through his veins.

"I do this not for revenge, but to prove to you that no one, especially not you, can lead a normal life after the bloodshed of the revolution," this was said in the same deathly quiet voice. But the next moment, Enizu seemed to explode with fury, "How _dare _you! How dare you love this wench with a past as dirty and blood-soaked as yours? How dare you refuse to kill, try to rectify your sins? _Nothing_ can atone for your crimes, _nothing!_" Enizu shrieked at Kenshin.

Kenshin's head lowered at these words, his bangs covering the expression on his face. "This one does not care what you say about him or his past," he said with bated breath. "Only that you release Naruku-dono."

Enizu smirked. Then he chuckled. "Release her? There you go again, trying to put your name to good deeds. So that you'll be remembered as someone who helped people. You will _always_ be remembered as a killer, Battousai. _You fucking hypocrite! Two-faced beast!_ You think by saving her, it makes up for those that you've killed? That you can go back to your life? I'll show you a good deed—a good deed would be _killing_ this tramp!"

Naruku cried out as Enizu made one clear slash across her waist, cutting into her stomach. She plunged to the ground, dripping crimson blood onto the snow-white of her kimono.

The world ceased to turn as Naruku kneeled on the ground, struggling for breath. Blood oozed out, flowing over the hand that clutched at the wound. No one moved as Naruku lay there, chest heaving with a burdened breathing. Then suddenly Naruku's head flicked upwards, and she stared over her shoulder at Enizu with a most piercing gaze, the lucidity gone from her emerald eyes, replaced with a flat, opaque acid color.

Her hand fell from her wound, instead snaking around her torso to the back of her obi. She reached inside the folds of the dark blue fabric and when her hand was in view again, there was something grasped in it.

Something deadly.

Before Misao, Soujiro or Kenshin had a chance to say anything, Naruku pushed off the ground, her momentum building as she headed at Enizu. Akeri's dagger was gripped in Naruku's hand, pointing at Enizu with lethal steadiness.

Enizu sword was in front of him before Naruku could move, and she felt the very tip slicing at her face. Blood splashed in her eyes, rendering her blind. With her last remaining strength, Naruku threw herself toward Enizu, not caring about his sword, not caring what was about to happen.

The dagger plunged into Enizu, right between two of his ribs. Naruku twisted the blade and the blood gushed out.

She stabbed again. Enizu's katana fell to the floor beside him. His face was a chalky white, his eyes huge in shock. His mouth was open, screaming wordlessly and gasping for a precious breath of air. His hands went to where Naruku's dagger was in his ribs.

She tore it away from him and plunged it into his heart. Blood sprayed up at Naruku, showering her in its crimson glory.

Enizu's lips parted as he sank to the ground. "You can never…escape…" he rasped out before collapsing on the ground, dead.

Naruku flung herself away from where the lifeless Enizu lay, soaked in blood. The dagger fell from her hand and she followed it to the ground. She lay on her side, her torso twisted and her cheek pressed against the cold, hard floor. She looked nowhere but the ground, a mix of tears, sweat and blood blurring her vision.

_In a paper-thin choice between life and death, she had chosen death._

* * *

A/N: Well…:bites lip: not much to say, huh? The next chapter will, in fact, be the last, and it may be short. I don't know, I haven't written it yet. I can't believe I'm come this far. By the way, this chapter took months of planning. I've been planning the end of their fight for at _least _four months. Wow. Talk about crazy. This fic has been so refreshing to me, and I hope you'll see it to the end. It's taken me nearly a year to write and I'm glad so many of you find it worthwhile. 


	23. Kenshin: Healing Words

Disclaimer: I'm busy building a barbed wire fence around my yard to keep those pesky lawyers out. They somehow got the erroneous idea that I am doing this for gain and profit. Nope, sorry, just for fun!

A/N: Wow, it's been almost two weeks since my last update! I'm so sorry for the wait, but it was another one of those times when I had to make everything perfect. I hadn't quite decided what kind of ending I wanted for this fic, and I figured it would just, you know, come to me at the end. It so didn't so I ended up having to think it over for a few days. Tell me what you think. It seems like all my fics have such similar endings…

This will be my _last _review response for this fic. If you'd like me to respond to your review of this chapter, leave your e-mail address and I promise I will.

**Justagirl8225: **_Thank you, I love the compliments I get from you. And I'm also secretly glad I am able to evoke such a reaction._

**Crewel: **_Aww, thank _you. _I'm glad you think it's "worth waiting for" and I'm sorry for making you wait all those past times. I decided on that part for Megumi almost as a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, and I loved how well it seemed to fit. I'm glad you liked it too._

**Another Baka, Tiny Toon, Mischievous Lass: **_Thanks for reviewing._

**Kie-san: **_I'm glad it turned out to be rather unpredictable. Gosh, poor Kenshin, huh? I'm so hard on him…_

**ZionCross: **_You're so mean. Funny thing, about that Outa comment…lol, I'm just kidding. Well, if you see your friend about to kill your other friend, what exactly would you do? I don't think it was a Mr. and Mrs. Smith moment (haha! That would be funny) but they both sort of panicked, Misao in particular. _

**Cathy Mark: **_Well, actually, she was never a killer to begin with, so she's only just…oh never mind. It is pretty harsh, isn't it? The sequel will be started soon, more information to follow after the chapter.._

**Flamer: **_That's nice. Why don't you go eat a floppy disk, hmm?_

**Babygirl: **_I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter…it is sad…actually, I dislocated Aoshi's shoulder. Soujiro's arm is fine. Last I checked. Aww, thanks._

**Charming Woman: **_Thanks, I'm rather proud of it. Yup, this is the end, the last chapter!_

**One and Only: **_I know, but you secretly liked the suspense, huh? Did the image of them and all the chaos slowly start to make sense? Thank you so much for your compliments. Hmm…Naruku and Kenshin a couple. Maybe. _

**Seta Misao: **_Thank you. It is sad., aw…_

Anyway, enjoy the last chapter of _Digging Up a Buried Path._

Tanoshimu!

* * *

_Chapter 23_

_Kenshin: Healing Words_

_-_

**T**he air grew thicker at castle Edo. Everyone, now, knew what had gone on there, past the thick wooden doors. The failed Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki, Enizu grabbing Misao, the tired, weak feeling that Kenshin had not been able to overcome and…Naruku's hand on the bloodied dagger. All of these things flashed up at Kenshin, encompassing his mind and taking him away from his friends.

He turned his head and saw with weary eyes the blood that splattered across Naruku. He closed his eyes.

Everyone knew, now, that Naruku had had a hand in Enizu's death. No. That was being too vague. She had killed him, and Kenshin could not protect her from that fact anymore than he had been able to protect her from Enizu.

He felt a cool hand on the back of his neck and opened his eyes to find a pair of glassy blue eyes staring back. Kaoru kneeled in front of him, quietly giving him her sympathy, slowly bringing him back to the world with just a hand on his shoulder.

He responded to her touch by standing up, lifting her to her feet as he did so. He surprised everyone by putting his arms around her, embracing her because he needed that comfort.

The stood like that for a few moments before Kenshin relinquished his grasp on her, turning to face his other friends. He did not smile, but somehow in the way he stood or the way his eyes gazed, he let them know he was grateful.

"Megumi-san," Misao said, walking to where the doctor stood.

Megumi turned to face Misao.

"You should…I mean…Naruku needs to be treated. If she's not she could…die," Misao went on quietly.

Megumi shook her head. "I'm sorry. I used all my supplies up."

Misao's eyebrows knitted. "On who?"

Megumi gestured behind her to the room that she and the others had been occupying for the better part of an hour. "On Rokuro's victims."

Misao seemed too surprised to say anything else.

"We need to get her to the clinic," Megumi said resolutely, casting her eyes back to Naruku.

Without waiting for another word to be spoken, Kenshin turned and stepped over to where Naruku lay, slipping out of consciousness. He knelt and gathered her torn and blood-soaked form into his arms, silently accepting her and what she had done.

He felt disappointment, yes, sadness, and even fear, but he could never forsake Naruku and who she was to him. She was still Naruku, and still human, and still capable of mistakes, of uncontrolled anger, of death. Just as she was capable of laughter, determination and strength. Of life.

Kenshin nodded to both Soujiro and Misao as he carried Naruku across the ballroom towards the main entrance. The others followed silently behind him.

He passed Enizu's body without a second thought as he went on his way home.

-

It was late afternoon and Kenshin could practically feel the sun going down and the sky growing dimmer. He stood, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed and his head tucked to his chest, ticking off the seconds, the minutes, that Naruku had been inside that room. Without him. She was still unconscious, perhaps even dying, and only Megumi could possibly save her.

It pained Kenshin to be outside, apart from the suffering Naruku had to endure because of the aftermath of the battle. It was a strange feeling…being so far away from her. To be so healthy, almost untouched by the battle he had taken part in. Instead it was Naruku with the walls around her, laying in Megumi's operation room, keeping everyone out and having them worry.

Naruku had killed Enizu, and that was a misdeed that could haunt her forever. It was a burden that could fit so easily into Kenshin's heart, but it would consume Naruku completely.

Kenshin remembered the first time he had fought Enizu. He had been so ready to kill then…but Naruku had held him back, told him that Enizu was not worth it. Not worth going back on his vow.

He had been worth it to Naruku. Part of Kenshin knew why…part of him didn't want to know.

She was silent, so quiet it was scary. Enizu descended upon her, a resounding smack sound echoing his strike. Naruku didn't move. Enizu growled and launched himself toward her, thrashing her upon the wall. Naruku wildly scratched at him and he laughed. And laughed.

_"Kenshin…" he could hear her voice. "Kenshin." _

_Hands and knees pushed roughly against the floor. She could not give in. Red across her back, her face warped into a scream. Carved into her, she unable to break free. A breath trying desperately to surface, but held down again, pinned to the floor. He had found her, tore her away and she released a terrible scream._

With a jolt, Kenshin's eyes opened and he felt himself pitching forward. Without taking even a second to take in his surroundings, he lunged for the door, clawing his way inside.

-

Megumi closed her eyes as she shook the remaining water off of her hands. Sighing in exhaustion, she reached one hand up and tugged the cloth from her head, letting the inky locks fall loose.

Naruku was not in good shape. Aside from the two wounds that still bled, she had serious bruises and abrasions all over her body. Nothing was broken, but…Megumi shuddered to think what had happened to her at Castle Edo before Kenshin had arrived there. It was the place of Megumi's nightmares, and now it was the place of Naruku's.

Megumi could only hope that when she woke, Naruku would be able to handle the anguish and the pain. For her sake…and for Kenshin's.

A sudden clatter startled Megumi out of her thoughts. She jumped and saw that Kenshin had thrown open the door and was hastening to get inside.

Megumi rushed to him. "Ken-san!" she cried, trying to push him back outside. "Ken-san, you have to stay out—_Ken-san!_"

He struggled fiercely against her, forcing himself through the door as he pushed past her.

"Sano!" she shrilled, her voice rising into hysterics. Her screams could not reach Kenshin, so instead she called for help. "_Sano!_" she heard no clamor of footsteps.

She flung her arms around Kenshin's torso in attempt to calm him, stop him from struggling. "Ken-san, listen, Naruku is—"

He went limp in her arms.

"Still sleeping…" Megumi finished in a whisper. The commotion had ceased and now it was just Kenshin and Megumi. She supported his weight carefully in her arms. A single tear raced down his cheek, and Megumi understood.

It was the first time Kenshin felt he couldn't reach someone. That they were just too far away…too far from his grasp.

Megumi closed her eyes peacefully. She knew how it hurt Kenshin. It was the same hurt that she and Kaoru and all the others had to endure every time Kenshin got too far away from them, too deep into his pain.

Megumi heard Kenshin steadily breathing against her shoulder, his body and mind so wracked with weariness. He would learn that there was nothing else he could do but stay by Naruku, be there for her when she woke up and when she dreamed of nightmares. He would learn that sometimes…protecting someone was not enough. Not good enough. That loving her was the only way to bring her back to him.

-

Kenshin made his way down the hallway; his head hung low, eyes closed in thought. It was the day after his fight with Enizu, and he had just arrived back from the clinic. Naruku had still not awakened and Megumi was doing her best to take care of her.

Kenshin reached the front door and slid it open, stepping out onto the patio. To his right Sano sat, legs crossed and arms out behind him to support his weight, his eyes gazing out toward the horizon where the sun was disappearing.

On Kenshin's other side, Aoshi leaned against the wall, his head turned now to acknowledge Kenshin. At Aoshi's feet was Kaoru, who sat comfortably with her legs tucked beside her. At her side Outa was curled with his head lying against her shoulder, sleeping soundly. Outa had been taken away from the clinic to give time to rest. He had done so much for Megumi and Dr. Ogura the past couple days, but he was a child and Megumi felt it would be better for him to spend time at the dojo.

Kaoru had one arm wrapped around the young Higashidani boy, both of them looking very content.

On the grass in front of the porch, Soujiro and Misao sat entwined, tired but at ease. A few feet away from them was Yahiko, his knees pulled up to his chest and his hands picking at the grass beneath him.

Kenshin surveyed the scene of his weary friends and then sat down in their midst. Silence encompassed him for a few moments, and in those seconds, everything was fine.

"So how is she?" Yahiko croaked.

Kenshin turned to him. "I think she'll be fine. Megumi-dono doesn't seem worried for her life, that she does not."

Yahiko nodded. "Well we always knew she wouldn't let go without a fight."

"Has she woken up yet?" Aoshi wanted to know.

Kenshin shook his head. "Megumi-dono says there's no reason she should still be unconscious…She didn't loose too much blood. I think it may be because Naruku-dono is unwilling to wake up."

Kaoru bit her lip at this news, but said nothing. Kenshin had been unwilling to talk the day before, and hadn't left the clinic until Megumi kicked him out and forced him to go home with the others. She didn't want to pressure the red-haired swordsman, but she knew he would have to start talking eventually.

"I just don't get…" Misao began, her voice doleful and upset. "Why it had to be like this. Why did he have to use her…like he did before." Her eyes flickered downward and it seemed like Misao almost regretted the words that came out of her lips.

Kenshin shook his head. Part of him wanted to avoid the subject. The other part wanted to let it all out. But this…he didn't even know the answer.

"Enizu-san always spoke of possession," Soujiro spoke up, surprising almost everyone. "When I was…allied with him." He gulped.

"But you were acting on our behalf," Misao protested.

"True, but still had to do his biding. He always spoke about ownership and control…one could almost say he was obsessed with it. As I'm sure you know," he nodded to Aoshi at this, "He took Naruku-san from her father after Enizu had killed him. He called her his 'souvenir…' And it was the same for you, Himura-san. He wanted to have Naruku as a prize for…for defeating you. There were three main men that Enizu wanted dead from the start, for their misdeeds to him. Katsura Kogoro was one, for not choosing him to go to Kyoto as he chose Himura-san. The other was Shishio-san, for taking the place of Katsura's assassin, just as Himura-san had done. And then, of course, Himura-san himself. He had Naruku-san as a souvenir from Katsura's son…and then later he regarded her as a prize for Himura-san. And he had me, a souvenir from Shishio-san."

Kenshin did not seem to be affected by these words at all. "It's funny…that both of his conquests…ended up betraying him." He turned to stare Soujiro directly in the eyes as he said this.

"That is a little strange," Soujiro said with a small laugh. "But for good reason. Enizu-san was not a man you could find sympathy with. The way he spoke about people…especially his enemies. Even Shishio-san would never say the things that Enizu-san constantly muttered. He hated you, Himura-san, above all else. And it was a hatred without respect."

Sano glowered. "He stooped too low to respect his enemies. Dragging Koneko into the fight? Only the weakest of fighters would fight that dirty, just for revenge."

"There was…something else, though, besides revenge. Wasn't there?" Kaoru said slowly.

Kenshin bowed his head. "It seemed like it, when I heard the words he spoke. It was as if…he blamed me for letting myself have a peaceful life after the Restoration. It seemed like he wanted to do the one thing that would take that happiness away. He told me…" Kenshin paused. He did not want to speak those words, nor hear them, ever. "He said Naruku should have died at my hands. He knew it was the one way he could destroy my life as badly as his was destroyed."

There was silence and pursed lips following Kenshin's words.

"But…" Kaoru spoke up again. "But the only reason his life wasn't as normal and as peaceful as ours…is because of the revenge he wanted on you. And…and it's almost as if he's blaming you for crimes he wish he had committed!" she cried. "That doesn't…_how_ can he believe that?"

"I don't pretend to understand the mind of a man as twisted as Enizu," Kenshin said. "But I believe there was something even deeper going on, something Enizu was not aware of. It could be that…it was himself that he hated. And by channeling his self-disgust into hatred for me, he could find peace."

"Finding peace in his own chaos," Aoshi grunted. "Fitting, I suppose, for a man such as Takeda Enizu."

Kenshin nodded at Aoshi's dry words. As the Oniwaban Okashira stood up to go back inside, Kenshin spoke again.

"Even your fallen comrades had lives that could not find peace. But they had something to fight for, and someone to believe in. Enizu had nothing."

The two men exchanged significant glances before Aoshi exited.

Kenshin turned back to the rest of his friends, some of whom were standing up and stretching, ready to follow Aoshi and retreat indoors.

"I'm going back to the clinic tonight," Kenshin announced.

"Why?" Kaoru questioned, still sitting peacefully with Outa at her side. "You just came from there. Can't you go tomorrow morning?"

Kenshin smiled. "I could, Kaoru-dono, but I am going tonight."

"Kenshin…" Kaoru said, a little wistfully as the others quickened their steps to get inside, sensing the two friends needed to be together.

"Kaoru-dono, I don't mean to make you worry," Kenshin said. He was being straightforward; he knew it was the best way to make her understand. He had learned that from Naruku. "But I…need to be there."

Kaoru nodded. "I understand, but part of me _is _worried, Kenshin. I fear how this is affecting you and whether you're going to start shutting me out…again."

Kenshin shook his head. "Please don't be bothered Kaoru-dono. My priority right now is making sure that Naruku is…safe," he nodded to himself.

Kaoru let a small smile trace her lips. "I know. It's always your priority. But I just hope that you aren't going over there so you can continue feeling sorry for yourself." Her expression tightened and she gave him a look of mock-anger. "'Cause if you are, I know where my bokken is!"

Kenshin chuckled appreciatively. "Thank you Kaoru-dono. I'll keep that in mind, that I will."

She reached up an encircled his neck with her arms. Leaning her head against his shoulder, she whispered the same words she had said two nights before. "Just bring her back."

Smiling, she released him and watched as he walked through the gate, out onto the pathway.

-

Megumi didn't say anything when Kenshin arrived back at the clinic late that evening.

"It's all right," Kenshin said. "I have Kaoru-dono's permission, that I do."

Megumi pursed her lips. "Hmm. Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said as she vacated Naruku's room, leaving the unconscious girl and Kenshin alone together.

"What does she mean?" Kenshin wondered, an innocent smile on his face as he watched the lady-doctor leave the room. He slowly kneeled down beside the table on which Naruku lay. He closed his eyes and suddenly felt very tired. Opening his eyes and raising his head, he took in Naruku's sleeping form, the soft breaths that escaped her parted lips, the gentle rising and falling of her chest.

He hoped she was dreaming of him.

-

Light filtered through the east-facing window in the room. The rays of the sun made kaleidoscopic patterns across Naruku's hair, making it look bright and coppery and deep crimson.

Kenshin reached up and encased one of Naruku's small hands in his own. It was cool to the touch. His eyes flickered out to the window and then he felt a small squeeze on his hand.

His eyes slowly came back to Naruku and he saw her moving, rousing from her two-day sleep. Her eyes flickered open and she stared up at Kenshin with eyes of a newborn.

"Hey," Kenshin said quietly.

"Hey," she returned in a whisper, her voice almost too hoarse to speak. She slowly lifted herself to a sitting position, letting her legs dangle off the edge of the table in front of Kenshin.

"How long was I out?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Two days," Kenshin said. "It's April first."

Her eyes flickered downward, making her realize that she hadn't let go of Kenshin's hand since she had woken up.

"Sanosuke dropped by earlier," Kenshin said. "He brought this." From somewhere at his feet he produced two big chunks of watermelon. He handed on to Naruku and took the other for himself.

Naruku took it gratefully, staring down at the crystalline fruit, dotted with black and white seeds.

"It's the first of the season," Kenshin said. He stood up and went to Naruku's side, slowly lifting himself onto the table beside her.

She said nothing, but dipped her head into the melon to take a luscious, juicy bite. "You're not going to leave, are you?" she asked thoughtfully, a ruby-red droplet of juice trembling on her lip, about to dribble down her chin before she licked it back in with her tongue.

"No," Kenshin answered, taking another bite of watermelon. "Are you?"

Naruku craned her neck, staring upwards pensively. "No," she agreed. "I'm home."

The two of them sat side-by-side in silence, their shoulders brushing against each other, their hands interlaced. There was so much that could have been said in that silence, but nothing needed to be. Their doubts and questions waited patiently within their minds, allowing the two of them a moment where everything was exactly how it should be.

The blank white walls of the room pressed in at them, but somehow it didn't matter. In each other's presence, simply eating watermelon, they could have been anywhere, outside where the sun was shining and the grass brushed against their bare feet.

"Hey, Kenshin?" Naruku said after spitting out the last of her black seeds. All that was left of her watermelon was the crispy white rind.

"Yes, Naruku-dono?" Kenshin, who still had plenty of juicy watermelon left, replied.

"Thank you," she said sincerely, thoughtfully gazing down at her finished melon.

Kenshin set his rind down behind him and put his arm around Naruku, gently pulling her into a tight embrace. She exhaled softly in surprise but then let a secretive smile light her face as she laid her head against his chest.

Kenshin rested his cheek against the top of her head, her hair brushing against the smooth skin as he held her tenderly in his arms.

Maybe she didn't have to suffer anymore, with Kenshin at her side. Maybe things could be all right, would be all right in time. Their hearts could heal together, and in the meantime, they could find contentment just by being together, side-by-side.

_Owari_

* * *

A/N: That's it, that's the end. I hope you've enjoyed this fic the whole way through, and thank you guys all for giving me a chance and reading what I have to write. I appreciate every review I get from you, and really, just, thank you. 

The sequel is not yet in the works, thought I have it almost completely planned out. It will be the last of Naruku's Canon Series, and will basically be an epilogue to my fics so far. That doesn't mean there won't be more action and romance and character development, however. I have no idea how long it will be, but I know it will be divided into three parts.

The title will be _Forever Wandering_. Since school is starting in a number of days, I may not have it out as soon as I'd like, but worry not. Eventually it will be there, so be on the lookout.

Unofficial synopsis: Only part of her had begun to let go, but the other felt the full-blast of guilt and betrayal. Only part of him had begun to forgive her, for the other, acceptance may come too late. And around them, their friends, the lives they had been entwined with for so long, rise from the rubble of the fighting and pain, and start on their journey to begin a new chapter of their lives. The problems that follow take shape in the late years of the Meiji, showing them that in order to overcome, they must remain together in spirit.At the end of every tale comes a beginning.

Okay, so it's totally vague and completely cornball, but I'm in that mood, you know? Anyway, there won't be very much fighting, because I don't plan to introduce any new villains or anything like that. I hope it sounds interesting enough...

Thank you for reading, and please don't forget to review! Endings are the hardest.


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